NYC Winter
by Disneyfan10
Summary: Winter has finally arrived in The Big Apple. Christmas is around the corner, the spirt is brightly merry, and there's cheer all around for the Newsies of Lower Manhattan. So, with that being said, what could possible go wrong during the month of December? (one shot book) (modern AU)
1. Baking (modern AU)

**Hey everyone, just a few things before we get into this. First off I just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who read The Past Comes Back. NYC Winter is going to be a place for all my winter/Christmas (maybe even some new year) one shots. Yep, I'm hopping on that bandwagon. Besides that most of these one shots takes place after AGN. For the time being at least. Anyways enjoy.**

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Baking (modern au)

"Alright do we have everything?" little Romeo asked excitedly as he jumped up and down to see all the items on the counter.

"Flour, eggs, where's the chocolate chips?" Jack asked while looking at the boys, and Feister. When no one answered that's when Jack noticed there were a few chocolate colored smudges on Albert's face.

"Why are you lookin' at me?" the redhead asked innocently. Jack gave "the look" and in that moment Albert handed the bag of chocolate chips to Jack. It was a cold Saturday morning, and with not much to do the newsies thought it would be a good idea to make some cookies.

Kloppman thought it wasn't the best idea since they would be using the oven. But after some reassurance from Race that they wouldn't burn down the Lodge. Specs of course covered Race's mouth and promised that they would all be careful, and any mess that was made would be cleaned up on the spot. So, in other words that's how the newsies were going to spend the next few hours making cookies Let's just hope that everything goes as planned.

"So, how is this gonna work?" Tommy boy asked while leaning on the counter. "There's a bunch of us in a small space."

"Easy, we split up into groups," Finch replied as if it was nothing.

"Can we make icing too?" Romeo asked with bright eyes.

Jack groaned quietly. "The last thing we need is a sugar high," he replied. If any of the newsies ate way too much sugar it would be one long weekend. First they would all be hyper, then there's the after effect and...it would just be Halloween all over again.

"Plus, icing is real sticky," Mush added.

Feister crossed her arms, looked at Mush through the corner of her eyes and said, "I told you not to do it. But ya go ahead an' do it anyways. Three showers later an' you're still pickin'-"

"I was thirteen!"

"I was twelve. You're point is?"

"I was young an' dumb."

"Ya got the dumb part right."

"Yeah, well you-"

"Two quit it already!" Kid Blink yelled breaking up Mush and Feister's little fight. "I swear you two fight like an old married couple." Anyways, after a very long debate on whether or not they should make icing. They were going to make it. Looks like it's going to be one long weekend. Err, hopefully it won't be that bad.

"Ok the oldest in each of the groups is in charge of what happens. um...Finch, Henry, Elmer, Tommy, Buttons, you guys make the batter. Specs, Jojo, Ike, Mike, Snipes, you guys get the pans an' oven ready. Race, Mush, Feisty, Romeo, you're on icing duty. Albert, Crutchie, Blink, you guys are helpin' me with the hot cocoa." When Jack finished everyone went to their group to make what they were assigned too

"So what do we do first Finch?" Elmer asked.

Finch thought very carefully for a moment. "Tommy, Elmer, Buttons you measure everything. Henry, you and I are on mixing duty." after a few nods the five boys got the measuring cups, bowls or, the mixing spoons.

While he was getting the mixing spoons Buttons ended up dropping the normal sized spoons. When he picked them up well...long story short he started playing them. Elmer seemed to catch onto the idea. Before Finch, Henry, and Tommy boy knew it Buttons and Elmer were having a spoon battle right in the middle of the kitchen.

"Spoon fight!" the younger newsies all yelled at the same time. Some of the boys stopped what they were doing to watch, the others started making bets on who would win, while Jack facepalmed at the sight. If he saw it once he saw it a million times.

"So, we goin' with the good ole sugar cookies, or the chocolate chip?" Henry asked once the spoon fight was

"Jack what kind of cookies are we makin'?" Finch yelled over the noise from the other boys.

"WHatever ya want!" Jack yelled back while trying to make sure no one burned themselves from the hot cocoa making process.

"How bout we make both," Elmer suggested. "We can make the sugar cookies, take out half the batter an' then put the chips in and BAM! Everyone's happy."

"Not a bad idea Elm," Finch said while patting the younger boy on the back.

"How do you make icing anyways?" Romeo asked. The older boys, and girl shrugged.

"Um...Feisty, look up how to make icing," Race said to the younger girl who was already on it.

"1 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of milk, and light corn syrup. almond extract and food coloring," Feister read off her phone. When she looked up the boys had come back with everything they needed.

"What now?" the three boys asked. Feister smiled as she read, "In a small bowl, stir together sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup. Let's just say things could've gone a bit smoother than it had.

While Feister was mixing the icing Race was getting the food dye, and Mush was getting some smaller bowls to mix the icing and food dye together. They ended up bumping into each other in the small space they had. To make matters worse when Feister went to help both boys up Romeo had tripped over her and when the little newsboy tried to grab onto the counter so he wouldn't slip he ended up grabbing the bowl and well...you can guess what happened then. Icing was now all over the place, and bowls, and food dye.

The loud crash caused Buttons to jump back. He bumped into Kid Blink who had gotten the milk for the hot cocoa. So, now there was milk and about three cups of flour all over the floor. When Finch and Albert went to help Blink and Buttons up they ended up slipping on the milk and caused another crash that made the cookie batter bowl fall right onto Mush's head.

Feister swiped some of the batter off of Mush's cheek and tasted some of it before saying, "Ease up on the sugar next time."

"At least things can't get any worse," Mush said as he took the bowl off his head. Just then Sniper was coming back with some pans while Henry was getting eggs from the fridge. The two boys ended up slipping on whatever was on the floor and BAM! Pans and eggs were all over the ground.

"You just had to say that, didn't you," Feister said deadpanned as she looked at Mush, who only shrugged.

"What's goin' on in here?" Kloppman asked as he walked into the kitchen. To his surprise there were pans, bowls, flour, eggs, milk, what looked like batter and icing was all over the floor. Race and Mush were covered in icing. Feister's face was covered with different colored streaks, and Romeo was wearing a small bowl on his head while licking the icing off his fingers.

Buttons and Kid Blink were sitting in a puddle of milk and flour. The pure white flour and milk was in both boys' dark hair. Which made they look like two old guys. Henry and Sniper were covered in eggs from head to toe. Finch and Albert were somewhat clean. But their clothes, not so much.

Jack, Specs, Jojo, Crutchie, Elmer Tommy boy, Ike, and Mike were the only ones standing. Their eyes were wide and mouths were gaped open at the sight. "I can explain!" all the newsies yelled at the same time before talking over the other.

"One at a time!" Kloppman yelled.

"It was my fault Klopp," Romeo admitted quietly. "I tripped over Feisty an' when I grabbed the counter, I ended up grabbing the bowl instead. Which caused everyone to start trippin' an' fallin'."

"Like ya said Rome, you tripped over me-"

"Which wouldn't have happened if I watched where I was goin'," Race cut Feister off.

"I was the one who had the bowls that caused Buttons to jump back," Mush added.

"An' I was the one who bumped into Blink," Buttons said quietly. "That's how the flour an' milk spilled on the floor."

"Al, an' I were the ones who caused the batter bowl to fall," Finch said.

"We were only tryin' to help out our little brothers," Albert said while looking at the ground.

"Ok, that explains how all that happened," Kloppman said. He turned his head to Henry and Sniper as he asked, "How did the eggs break?"

"I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'," Henry admitted.

"I shoulda watched where I was goin' too," Sniper added. The smallest smile appeared on Kloppman's face. While the newsies may fight, every five seconds, or cause trouble. But by the end of the day they're a family.

"Alright, everyone clean up this mess, then clean up yourselves. Race, Feister, go to the store and get more stuff to make the cookies. Plus a few other things on the grocery list. And this time, please don't turn the kitchen into a mixing bowl." the newsies all laughed at Kloppman's last statement.

Anyways, with that being said the newsies all did what Kloppman said, and they did a pretty good job. Ok, so there may of been a few minutes where the boys, and Feister were throwing soap foam at each other. And when Romeo got soap in his mouth somehow. But at least the kitchen got cleaned.

* * *

"I'm never goin' to the store with this idiot again!" Feister yelled as she walked into the kitchen while carrying two grocery bags with Race right behind her.

"What happen now? Jack groaned.

"Five words," the small girl yelled as she dropped the bags on the table. "Clean, up, on, aisle, three," Feister said slowly as she counted off each word with a finger while glaring at Race.

When none of the boys understood what was going on Race started laughing as he said, "I put Mentos in the pop bottles."

"This nut head is lucky he didn't get banned from the store for life," Feister said with her "I'm so done with this idiot" face. Which is one she wore a lot.

"Anyways, we got stuff to make the cookies, and a few things that were on the grocery list," Race announced. And so it was back to work. Team Cookies and Team Icing made a whole new batch. This time they were all aware of what they were doing.

When Team Cookies was finished with the batter they all went to help cut the batter with cookie cutters. When there was no more batter left the older boys carefully put the pans into the hot oven, and now all that was left to do was wait.

While the newsies waited for the cookies to finish baking they all gathered in the living room with the hot cocoa to watch Home Alone 2 Lost in New York. Something they always watch around the holidays. Naturally, the second Home Alone is probably the favorite amongst the newsies.

"You know the New York Plaza Hotel looks a lot like the Tipton Hotel from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," Romeo pointed out with a smile.

"Rome, how do ya know that?" Race asked. "You were like two when Zack and Cody came out."

"Just cause I was still in diapers, doesn't mean I don't know bout it. Sides, Home Alone was made before any of us was born. Yet, we know bout it." no one argued with Romeo on that. Question is, when did an eleven year old get so smart?

"Didn't Klopp band us from watchin' that show?" Buttons asked.

"Yeah, cause Race an' Jojo got way too crazy when they watched it," Specs replied with a laugh.

"Why watch a dumb old tv show when you have a real life Zack and Cody right here!" Jojo exclaimed while patting Race on the back.

"Are you guys forgettin' that there's a set of twins right here?" Mike asked.

"Hey guys," Feister said breaking up the fight. "What's that smell?" everyone stopped what they were doing and sniffed the air. That's when the smoke detector went off. In seconds the boys, and Feister quickly got off the couch and made a run to the kitchen. Black smoke was seeping through the oven cracks that left a somewhat bad smell in the air.

Some of the boys started waving dish towels around the smoke detector to stop beeping. Others ran around to open the windows. A cold wind blew into the Lodge. But it was either that, or have the place smell like smoke. Jack quickly grabbed some oven mitts, opened the oven and took out the smoking pan and after a few minutes the beeping stopped and the smoke was gone.

"What's going on now?" Kloppman asked just as Race was taking a bite out of a black chunk and spit it out.

"Who wants to get Schmackary's instead?" Race asked. Everyone looked at each other before running off to get their boots, hats, scarves, mittens, jackets and anything else that would keep them nice and toasty in the cold New York air.

"That's all the way up in Midtown!" Kloppman yelled as the newsies all ran out the door.

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 **Author's note**

 **Well, there's the first one shot for you. Updates are random since this is a one shot book. Like I said before most of these are modern au, and take place after AGN. If you have any winter/Christmas ideas please tell me and I can see what I can do. I'm open to requests.**

 **Requests for the April Fools one shot is still open. I'm getting really stubbed on this to the point I think it may just scratch the whole thing since I'm not really feeling it. If you have an idea for a prank keep these two things in mind it's modern au, and before PCB.**

 **What did you think? Anyways thanks for reading.**


	2. Snow Day (modern au)

Snow Day (modern au)

"As you see on the map snow clouds are heading our way."

"We know there's a storm comin'! Just get to the part where you say which schools close!" Race yelled at the tv while chucking a pillow at it. It was some time after dinner since the newsies have been sitting in the living room watching the weather channel. You see, New York is in for a blizzard. We all know that New York winter's are harsh, and the newsies are all hoping (just like every other kid in the city) their school would close. So far, there was no good news.

"Specs is there _anything_ on the school's website bout it closing?" Jack asked. Specs (who was behind Kloppman's desk) shook his head while continuing to quickly type away at the computer.

"What about the middle school?" Romeo asked. Buttons, Sniper, Ike, Mike and Feister all looked over at Specs, waiting for an answer. But when there was no reply. They all groaned and slumped in the couch. The weatherman wouldn't shut his trap about the storm that was coming to The Big Apple.

Everyone knew about the storm. All the stores and other public places had shut down. Grocery shopping was hectic, seeing as Kloppman brought all the newsies to the store and gave them each a small list of items to get. Needless to say it was crazy. The store was crowded and Finch and Buttons may or may not have got left behind in aisle 5. Specs was the one who noticed they were missing and went with Kloppman to get the two boys back. That wasn't a good day.

About fifteen minutes went by (but to a bunch of teenagers it felt like fifteen hours!) and there was still no news about the schools closing. And maybe they won't. Boy would that stink worse than the Delancey brothers. Having to stay in school on a snow day.

"And now for the lists of schools that will be closing until further notice."

"FINALLY!" Tommy boy yelled as he jumped up in his seat.

"Sit down ya nitwit!" Albert said as he yanked down the younger boy. The newsies waited anxiously as the weatherman listed off all the schools in New York. About another fifteen minutes later (give or take) there was still no news about the schools the newsies went to. It was gonizing to sit through this. It was pretty much than getting detention on a Saturday.

They waited, and waited and waited for their school to be announced that it was closing. But so far there was nothing. A turtle could have crossed the entire world faster than the rate the weatherman was reading the names. Finch was tapping his foot on the ground, Elmer was rubbing his hands together, and Feister was pulling her braid out of her hair.

Some of the boys were bouncing in their seats, and others were pacing so much that the other boys swore they could see the floor just half an inch lower than what it was before. The weatherman went silent as he turned the page of the very long list of schools. It was a pretty long silence before..."Lower Manhattan Middle."

"YES!" the younger newsies all yelled at the same time while jumping up and high fived each other.

"Yeah, yeah yeah, we're all happy for ya. Now would ya shut up the high school still needs to close!"

"Just cause the high school hasn't been shut down yet, don't mean you need to get all grumpy Mushy," Feister teased with a smirk.

"And finally," the weatherman said. The youngers were still making a little noise. So Jojo turned the volume up while the rest of the other newsies told the youngers to shut up. They did (eventually) and now everyone was back on the edge of their seats again. It was a nerve wracking few moments as they waited and hoped that - "The World High School!"

"YES!" the older boys yelled while jumping up. Let's just say the living room was noisier than fireworks on the fourth of July. There were high fives, hugs and cheers all around. Some were jumping up on the couch, and yes, there was tackling.

"What's with all the yellin'?" Kloppman asked as he walked into the living room.

"The schools are closed until further notice!" Henry exclaimed happily. Kloppman only laughed and shook his head at the sigh of the newsies.

* * *

As you can guess the newsies were busy scrambling to get their winter gear on as soon as possible so they can enjoy the snowy day. The morning was rowdier than usual (which none of them thought was possible) Everyone was up and running early in the morning so they could spend the rest of the day in the park. Breakfast was well….half toasted toast and somewhat frozen waffles with a splash of syrup.

Which brings us to now.

"Has anyone seen my snow boot?!" Specs yelled as he walked around with only one snow boot on his foot while looking around for the other.

"Where's my scarf?" Crutchie asked

"Mike, you're wearing my hat!" Ike said.

"No I'm not!" Mike replied.

"These are brand new mintens and they're already too small for me!" Mush exclaimed as he tried to jam a mitten onto his hand.

"That's cause these are mine!" Feister said as she took her mitten off of Mush's hand and slipped it on with ease. "You know, sometimes I forget why we call ya "Mush". NOT! Ya make it way too easy boy!" she exclaimed while shoving his head.

"Whatever," Mush replied with an eye roll. Anyways, after Mush got the right mittens, Specs found his snow boot, Crutchie got his scarf, the twins sorted out who's was who's hat, and after a "don't do anything stupid" from Kloppman and Race pulling out the old "since when do we do anything stupid" card.

Albert and Jojo each took Race by the arm and dragged him out the door before Kloppman gave the long list of stupid things they've done. Well actually the stupid things Race has done. But, who's counting?

"Bye Klopp!" the younger newsies yelled before running out the door with their sleds in tow.

"We'll make sure everyone comes back in one piece," Specs reassured. "Right, Finch?" he asked while clapping said boy on the back.

"Why me?" Finch groaned.

"Stop your grumbling' an' get a movin' fore things get outta hand." with that being said the rest of the boys who were still in the Lodge headed out into the (very) cold New York air. The snow was piled high on the edges of the streets and sidewalks. The sky was still cloudy and it looked like it was going to snow again.

But for now the only the snow that fell to the ground was when the wind howled in the wind sending snow dancing in the air. It was pretty cold, but it was sure better than being stuck in school. "C'mon slow pokes!" Romeo yelled before making a break for the park.

"Hey wait up!" Sniper yelled sprinting after Romeo. Buttons, the twins, and Feister followed close behind. Soon enough all six of them made it to the park before anyone else did.

"So, who wants to prank the others?" Feister asked with a mischievous smile, and a gleaming glint in her eyes.

"What's goin' on in that head of yours?" Buttons asked while crossing his arms. Feister gathered the five boys into a small huddle as she quietly whispered her plan.

"I dunno bout this."

"Oh, c'mon," Feister grumble quietly. She looked over her shoulder to see that the other boys weren't even close to the park yet. She then turned back to the huddle and said, "I'll do all the talkin', you just make sure your ready."

"Sounds good to me," Ike chirped happily.

"Course you'd say that," Mike retorted.

"I agree with Ike," Sniper said. "This is gonna be good."

"I'm with Ike an' Snipes," Romeo added in a happy tone.

"I dunno."

"Oh c'mon Buttons, I'm the one who's doin' all the talkin''," Feister said in a obvious tone.

"Yeah," Romeo agreed. "Sides, you know very well that everyone believes anything Feisty says."

"Especially her boyfriend," Sniper sang with a smirk across his face.

"How many times do I have to say it!" Feister yelled quietly. "Mush is _not_ my boyfriend."

"Yet," the twins said. Feister groaned and rolled her eyes. Anyways after a lot of convincing Buttons and Mike finally agreed to help pull a prank on the others. The five boys all ran and hid close by while Feister started to come up with some story to tell the others. By the time the others came everything was all set to go.

"Feisty?"

"Yes Jack?" Feister asked in the sweetest tone possible.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Cause, it snowed last night, and the school is closed," Feister replied happily. Just then a small chunk of snow hit the back of Jack's head. He turned around to see who had thrown that. But nobody was behind him. Shrugging it off and turning his attention back Feister it happened again. Each one quicker than the last.

Soon, more and more snowballs came flying through the air. "Hold fire!" Jack yelled. The snowballs stopped and he five boys who were throwing them came out from their hiding spot. "This hardly seems fair," Jack said while gesturing between the older boys and the youngers.

"What doesn't seem fair?" Feister asked.

"Well, seeing us you're all younger and more agile then the rest of us it's pretty obvious we're gonna lose. So I suggest we split up-"

"Albert, Finch, Jojo, Kid Blink, and Mush you're on our team," Feister said before Jack could finish.

"You're seriously leaving me with Elmer?"

"Hey!" Elmer yelled.

"I've got Ike an' Mike!"

"Hey!" the twins yelled

"That's true Jacky," Crutchie whispered quietly into Jack's ear. "Those two don't know their left from their right."

"You've still got Finch and Sniper. Hardly seems fair-"

"You're just afraid you're gonna lose to a girl," Feister said as she crossed her arms.

"Fine," Jack said seriously. "My team against Team Feisty."

"I think you mean the winning team," Feister said with a smirk as the rest of her team came onto her side.

"Careful little Feisty, you're playing with fire."

"You should know that I am fire." Let's all be honest that anything that has a competitive edge to it, the boys will take it very seriously. That's why family game night was canceled on the count that at least one person ended up with a bruise or two. Anyways the smack talk went on for so long that someone threw a snowball just to start the fight.

"Eat snow!" Henry yelled as he threw a snowball at Elmer.

"Hey! I'm on your team!" Elmer yelled back as he threw a snowball at Henry. The two boys started going at it before they tackled each other to the ground. Needless to say that the teams quickly broke up and everyone was fending for themselves.

"Got ya!" Feister let out a scream as someone tackled her into the snow. She and whoever tackled her rolled down the hill, and ended up tripping some of the boys before coming to a stop. That's when she heard an all too familiar laugh ring through the air.

"Mush Meyers I hate you!" Feister yelled as she pushed Mush off of her and sat up straight. But Mush just laughed. Having heard that more times than he can count. "It' ain't funny," Feister grumbled. She then took a huge chunk of snow and smashed it in his face.

"Thanks a lot Feisty," Mush said deadpanned while she laughed. After the very interesting snowball fight, some of the boys and Feister got their sleds and headed for the very large hill. While others stayed at the bottom and made snow angels or snowmen.

"This is gonna be awesome," Romeo said with a wide smile as he looked down at the hill.

"It sure is pretty up here," Feister said quietly as she looked at the park that was covered in a thick blanket of snow with the tall New York buildings right behind it. The air seemed to be colder at the top of the hill than at the bottom. Her cheeks had a rosy color and her hair seemed to have gotten even darker somehow. "Ok I've seen enough ,let's sled."

The next few hours were hectic. Buttons and Ike crashed into a snowman. But at least they didn't almost crash into a tree like Jojo. Whenever someone would sled down the hill the boys at the bottom would throw snowballs. Which was a bad ideas since it lead to another snow ball fight. So, in other words that's how the newsies spent most of the day.

But what stood out the most was when Albert took a hand full of snow and stuffed it down Race's back. "What the?!" the blonde boy yelled as snow went down his back. So, without even thinking twice Race tackled Albert into the snow which lead to another fight between the two of them

Which was nothing new. It took Jack and Specs awhile to pull the two boys apart. But they did. Which wasn't the best idea because the next thing both Jack and Specs knew was that icy cold snow was going down their backs. The snowball fight was back on. Probably more intense than the first few times.

After getting ambushed with snow countless times the newsies all called it a day and went back to the Lodge. "What happened to you?" Kloppman asked as the boys, and Feister walked into the Lodge. They were all covered in snow from head to toe. Their faces were pale with red splashed across their cheeks, nose and ears. Not to mention some were shaking themselves cold.

"Snowball fights, snow angels, we tackled each other into the snow. Buttons and Ike crashed into the snowman Crutchie an' Tommy were building, and Jojo almost crashed into a tree," Jack explained casually. "You know, the usual stuff.

"And this nitwit shoved snow down my back!" Race exclaimed while shoving Albert up side the head. Albert just laughed it off of course.

Kloppman just nodded since 1, that was nothing new. 2, he wasn't really surprised that all happened, and 3….well the first two were enough. "Anyways, go put on some dry clothes fore you get sick."

With that being said the boys, and Feister all got out of their snow gear and headed up stairs to put on some dry and warm clothes before heading back down stairs. They all made hot cocoa (without making a mess) before watching some movies.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **So, where I live it hasn't snowed yet. It's mostly either been rainy or cold. Which just shuts down my brain when I'm trying to write fanfic.** **It did snow once, but then it rained the next day. Has it snowed yet where you're from?**

 **Shout out to Music on the Moon, thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for your prank idea I can see what I can do for that. Oh and thanks to everyone who read/reviewed The Scavenger Hunt. I had a lot of fun writing that.** **Lastly, yesterday I saw a production of Newsies and it was so amazing! What did you think?** **Anyways thanks for reading.**

 **Ps yesterday I saw a production of Newsies and it was amazing!**


	3. Deck the Halls (modern AU)

Deck the hall (modern AU)

"Ok, while Race, Specs, Albert, Finch, are gettin' the tree-"

"Are we sure it's a good idea to let the nightmare twins pick out the tree with only Specs to keep them in line?" Feister asked cutting Jack off. "We all know Finch is gonna drown himself in hot cocoa."

"What have you done Cowboy?" Mush asked slowly. He looked over at Feister and the two of them started to snicker.

Jack rolled his eyes before continuing. "Ike, Mike, you untangle the lights-"

"That rhymed," Elmer commented.

Jack slowly blinked and took a very deep breath before saying, "I'll help with the lights too. Henry, Jojo, Elmer, an' Crutch, you get the stuff for the tree. Tommy, Buttons, Sniper, Romeo, you get the decorations for the Lodge, Feisty, Mush, Blink. Popcorn strings. And this time don't eat the popcorn. We are not going back to get anything from the store unless it is absolutely necessary."

With that being said the newsies all headed off to their respective job. Most of the roads in New York were still closed. And while they wanted to make a batch of cookies, Kloppman wouldn't let them ever since the last encounter with the baked goods. So, with nothing better to do they all decided to decorate the Lodge for Christmas. It was either that, or sit around all day doing nothing.

Since Race, Albert, Specs and Finch weren't back with the tree yet, and after the boxes were brought down the newsies all went to work.

"Hold that end - no the other end - the one near your - Ike don't do that you're gonna... and now he's stuck," Jack said with a sigh.

"I hate doin' the lights," Ike groaned.

"On the bright side they all work!" Mike chirped happily after plugging in the lights While Jack and Mike were busy untangling Ike from the lights, Henry, Elmer and Buttons were sorting through the stuff for the tree. There were ornaments of all shapes and sizes, different colors and a lot of sparkle.

"Be care not to break anything," Crutchie reminded as Henry picked up one of the more breakable ornaments.

"I know," Henry replied while admiring the item in question.

* * *

"Why are New York Winters so cold?!" Finch asked. "Right now I wish I was a penguin."

"Stop your grumbling," Race complained. "By this time next year we'll be able to drive." since none of them could drive they had to walk in the very cold streets of New York. Then there was finding the right tree while staying on budget.

"And then you'll be complaining that it's too hot and wish you were a some animal from Africa," Albert added with small hand gestures.

"Will you all shut up and focus!" Specs shouted. "The sooner we get a tree the sooner we can go home." which was a lot easier said then done. When the four boys got to the nearest park where there was a popup tree farm it all went down hill. Finch of course was buying a extra large hot cocoa, while Race and Albert were well...doing what they do best. And no, it wasn't getting into trouble (thankfully)

Specs was busy trying to get Finch to stop talking about how he could roast a small marshmallow with a toothpick and a candle, when he heard a "run for your life!". "What did they do now?" Specs groaned.

'Hey Specs! Finch! listen if you see a very big, an' angry lookin' guy about this high, I wasn't here ok? Ok bye!" Albert said quickly before running off. Before anything else was said a very big and angry looking guy came up to the two boys said, "Hey punks! Have you seen a scrawny looking ginger?"

"What did this-" Finch cleared his throat before saying, "scrawny little ginger do?"

"Him, and his blonde friend flirted with my girls," the guy replied before running off.

"And here I was thinkin' they knocked down a tree." needless to say the big guy did catch up to Race and Albert. The guy threw them into a big pile of snow and walked off angrily. To make matters worse a random dog almost spoiled the snow. But Specs and Finch got there on time before it could happen.

"I hope you two learned your lesson," Specs said with a small laugh as he helped Race up.

"Never flirt with a girl just cause she's pretty," Albert said as Finch helped him up. "You never know who her scary father might be."

"Now we just need to find a tree."

"Like that one?"

* * *

"A little to your left Specs...no no. Your other left...steady...steady….."

"Finch, you're steppin' on my foot!"

"Sorry Al.

"I got the popcorn to make...how big is that tree?!" Feister asked as she walked into the living room with a bowl full of popcorn. She saw Race, and Specs, and Albert, and Finch all struggling to get the Christmas tree up.

"Bout seven feet," Race replied.

"How did you get it through the door?!"

All four boys stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. They were all thinking the exact same thing. How they got a 7ft tree through the tiny door was well….let's just say Specs and Finch had to wedge his way in between the door and the tree, so he could pull from the other side. When they could've used the back door instead (which would've been the smart thing to do) but then again, newsies weren't the best at making the right choices.

When both boys finally got to the other side it was a bit hard to pull, because the tip was on the inside and the truck on the outside. So that's how they all spent the next twenty minutes jamming a 7ft tree through the door.

"You don't want to know," they all replied. Feister just nodded before going over to the couch and sat down. Ike and Mike were busy untangling the lights while Jojo and Elmer were hanging up the stockings.

"Ooo, popcorn!" Kid Blink said. He was about to grab a handful when Feister swatted his hand away.

"This is for the tree not your stomach!" Feister yelled with a "don't you dare" glare. Which made Blink huff and go back to what he was doing. Feister then started to string the popcorn together while the boys did their own thing.

"Don't mind if I do," Mush said as he grabbed a hand full and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Mush Meyers!" Feister yelled. "Did ya not hear what I just told Blink?" when Mush didn't answer Feister said, "It's for the tree, not your stomach."

"Since when do trees eat popcorn?" Mush asked with a cheeky grin. Feister did her "I give up' groan. One she's done many times.

"Are gonna stand there like the idiot ya are, or are ya gonna help me string popcorn?" Feister asked.

"That was the job I was given," Mush replied with a cheeky smile.

"Can we get a little help here?" Mike asked. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see what happened. And sure enough, Ike _and_ Mike somehow tangled themselves in the lights.

"Three time's the charm I see," Jojo joked with a small laugh.

"Less talking and more getting us out please," Mike yelled. The three of them then got off the couch and proceeded to untangle Ike and Mike from the lights. Needless to say Kloppman had to go and help. Soon enough the twins were out of the lights and the lights were well...back to what they were before.

Sniper and Tommy boy were busy winding the garland around the railing of the staircase, while Crutchie was hanging up the rest of them stockings. As the newsies were getting the Lodge ready for Christmas Kloppman was watching with a smile from the safety of his desk. So far now messes had been made, nothing broke, and for once, no one was yelling.

Soon enough the Christmas tree and all the other decorations were done. The Lodge looked like something out of a book. The evergreen tree was so plain and boring when it first came into the Lodge.

The silver garden and popcorn string were both wrapped around the tree neatly with the different colored ornaments standing out one way or another. There weren't just round ones, but snowflakes, hearts, reindeer, a little horse with cotton coming out of the chimney like smoke, stars, angels, and a nutcracker.

There were more lights on the windows along with paper snowflakes, and a homemade wreath that was made out of green and red garland, hung on the front door. The tree was sending off a sweet smell that filled the Lodge, adding to the warm and cozy feeling.

"The tree looks good," Feister said under her breath.

"Can't agree more Feisty," Mush said with a small smile.

"Lookie what's under the mistletoe!" Romeo exclaimed. The boys all turned their heads to where Romeo was pointing. And sure enough it was Mush and Feister, who both looked up to see that they were indeed standing under the mistletoe. So, without even giving much thought Mush pressed a lingering kiss to Feister's cheek.

Much to the boys disappointed. "It's supposed to be on the lips!" Race yelled.

"Actually it just says to kiss the person. It never says where," Mush replied with a cheeky grin. "And I believe you owe me somethin'."

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **Well, this was kind of all over the place. But I had a fun time writing this either way. Shout out to Music on the Moon, and brighteyes421, thanks for the reviews. They both definitely put a smile my face.**

 **Music on the Moon: that line is one of my favorites in the story. So, I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

 **brighteyes421: when the newsies start tripping, and falling had my dying while writing it. And when they were watching Home Alone 2 they really weren't thinking at all. About the snowing in your area that's a lot of snow. Hopefully the roads are safe again soon.**

 **Lastly my computer has been acting weird so it's getting fixed now. I used my mom's computer to edit and post this. I'll try to get the next one shot written and posted soon.** **What did you think? Anyways thanks for reading.**


	4. Ice Skating (modern AU)

Ice skating (modern AU)

"I still can't believe you all dragged me to this," Feister grumbled as she got her ice skates on.

"It's easy once ya get used to it," Mush replied with a small shrug.

"Easy my butt," Feister spat. She looked up and saw that some of the boys were already on the ice, and the rest were getting their skates on. "Which I will be fallin' on." It was a beautiful Winter day. It was cold, but not too cold, with clouds in the sky The newsies decided to spend the day ice skating in Central Park.

"Ya got that right," Kid Blink said with a smile. "Race has a little bettin' pool goin' on who's gonna fall the most. So far you've got seven people bettin' on you."

"An' you're one of those seven, aren't ya?" Mush asked as he stood up, but he already knew the answer to that. He just wanted to double check so he can make sure that Blink and who ever the other six are to feel stupid by the end of the day. In other words he was going to make sure Feister wouldn't fall once.

"Well, you might as well get your money now cause I know I'm gonna be fallin' every other second," Feister replied. When she tried to undo her skates, Mush pulled her up in swift move and said, "I'll be right there next to ya the entire time." Feister sighed as Mush dragged her to the ice rink. When they walked up to the entrance of the skate rink, Mush was the first to step onto the ice and Feister waited right where she stood.

"A little ice never killed anybody," Mush said, trying to get Feister to step onto the ice.

"Tell that to the people on the Titanic," Feister replied deadpanned. Usually she wouldn't back down from a challenge, but this was different. There were a million things that could go wrong. One being that the ice could crack and eat her alive.

"I'll be right here next to you," Mush said while holding out his hand. After a few moments Feister grumbled as she took his hand and carefully stepped onto the ice.

"Don't they make a cute couple?" Elmer asked while nudging Henry, who smiled and nodded.

"Just don't tell Chloe," Elmer said with a laugh. Everyone knew that three months after Lacey left, along came goody good Chloe, who's just one big fake. Need I say more? Anyways, while some of the boys were busy skating, others were sweet talking girls. Romeo was no exception to this, but so far none of the girls he had flirted with were very impressed. "How's a guy supposed to sweet talk a girl if she's bein' a ice queen," he grumbled while crossing his arms with a huff.

"Girls like playin' hard to get," Race replied. "Ya gotta bring out the show wininnin' smile, an' bring out the ole charm." just then a pretty brunette skated past the two boys, to an open space where she started to do figure eights, then a bunch of spins. The two boys watched in aw as the girl finished flawlessly. "Watch an' learn Rome," Race said with a smirk before going to the pretty brunette. "Hello gorgeous," he said with his best smile.

"You talking to me blondie locks?" the girl asked while placing her hands on her hips. A quick wind blew past that made the girl's brown locks fall perfectly around her face, while her blue eyes sparkled like the Winter snow.

"Seein' as you're the only pretty girl here, then yes," Race replied. "The name's Racetrack. But you can call me Race. And what might they call a gem like you?"

"Taken," she replied in a sweet tone. "See ya blondie." with that being said Bella skated away as Race stood there dumbfounded. The blonde boy just stood there as if his feet were frozen on the ice.

"I think I'm just gonna ask Albert for girl advice," Romeo said to himself before skating away to find Albert. But not before slipping and falling on his back.

"Having a little trouble there?" a pretty voice asked. Romeo opened his eyes to see that a pretty girl with dirty blonde hair and green eyes was hovering over him with a concerned look on her face. "Here, let me give you a hand." Romeo took the girl's hand and soon enough he was back on his feet. "I'm Juliet."

"The name's Romeo," he replied with a big smile. "So I guess you can say we're meant to be." Juliet giggled as a smile spread across her face, and needless to say the two of them skated around the rink hand in hand.

"Would ya look at that," Albert said with a smirk as he and Race watched little Romeo skate around with some girl. "A eleven year old is better at flirtin' than you are." needless to say the redhead wouldn't stop laughing like a crazy person.

Back with Feister she still hadn't gotten the hang of skating yet, so Mush brought her over to the edge of the rink for a quick break. They each had a hand rested on the barrier, with Feister being closer to the inside, and Mush was on the outside. Leaving a small gap in between them. "You're getting a lot better," Mush said with a smile.

"I'm also gettin' tired," Feister replied as she pulled her scarf closer to her face. Just as she was doing that a small boy who was way younger than her, skated right in between her and Mush. Literally, right in between the small gap, when there was _plenty of space around them_. But no, that little show off just had to skate right in between the small space. Since it was such a small gap Feister ended up falling right on her butt and yelled, "Watch where you're goin' ya nitwit!" the kid however, ignored Feister and skated away as if nothing happened.

"A few bruises never hurt anyone," Mush said as he helped Feister back on her feet. But the small girl ended up slipping forward and stumbled into Mush's chest. When he tried to catch her they both ended up falling on the ice, with Mush on his back and Feister laying across his stomach.

"That's two falls for me, an' one for you," Feister said as she pushed herself up and sat down with her legs sprawled to the side. "We keep this up you know at least half of the boys will go home happy." after that was said they both got up and continued to skate hand in hand, while trying not to fall.

"I spy with my little eye two lovebirds," Jojo said quietly while nudging Finch.

"Good to see you took up bird watching," Finch replied with a smile before turning his head back to a big tree where two little birds were sitting in their nest.

"Not those lovebirds." Jojo turned Finch around and pointed to Mush and Feister, " _Those_ lovebirds!"

"I thought Mush has a girlfriend," Finch replied confusion.

"You know the sayin', when the cat's away the mice will play," Jojo said. "I think it's time we give 'em a little nudge in the right direction." Before anything was said Jojo skated over to Mush and Feister, and gave a small nudge, which caused Feister to slip forward and stumble a little into Mush. On the bright side they didn't fall down like the first time. "You're one of the dummies that's betting I'd fall, aren't you?" Feister asked in a deadpanned tone.

"I have a much bigger plan," Jojo replied with a smirk.

"Look out!" Sniper yelled while trying to somehow stop. But it didn't work, so that's how Jojo, Mush, Feister and Sniper all ended up in a pile of tangled libs on ice. "Sorry," Sniper said with a awkward smile.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time the newsies got back to the Lodging House, and after quickly changing into some dry clothes, popping the last of the popcorn bags, the boys, and Feister were all settled in the couch one way or another. They all had squished into the couch since none of them wanted to sit on the floor.

"That movie is lame!"

"You're lame too, but ya don't hear me complaining!"

"Race, Albert shut it!" Jack snapped making said boys stop fighting. He then turned on the tv and put in a random three digit number. "We're watching whatever this is!" Jack announced as the channel changed to the - "Hallmark movies?" Race and Albert asked.

"I'd rather watch the lame movie," Race said under his breath.

"It's a Christmas Classic!" the redhead exclaimed.

"We're watching Hallmark and that's final!" Jack yelled before stuffing the remote in between the couch cushions, he was in a pretty bad mood since he fell on his butt the most. Some of the boys all started to complain about watching the sap channel, others didn't really care, and then there was Crutchie, who didn't mind at all.

"What's the point in even watching these movies?" Feister asked before taking a hand full of popcorn. At the moment her head was on Mush's lap and her legs rested on Jojo. since the couch wasn't big enough for everyone this was a position that happened a lot for her. "The whole plot line is completely pointless!" the small girl exclaimed. "It's the same line over and over and over again. A sweet an' bubbly small town girl meets a big city guy. They met, hate each other, or don't agree on everything, but in the end they fall in love and it's happily ever after the end. And the movie always ends with the couple kissing as the camera zooms out. Or big city girls meets stubborn small town boy. They meet, hate or don't agree on everythin'. But still fall in love at the end as the camera zooms out end scene that's a wrap I'm done we can all go home."

"Aren't girls are spouses to love this sentimental sap."

"Says the person who's literally named Mush," Feister replied while looking up at said boy with a smirk.

"Why are we watching this again?" Sniper asked with a mouth full of popcorn as a movie called "A Crown for Christmas" started. The first thing that popped onto the screen was the Brooklyn Bridge, then the Statue of Liberty, before quickly changing to the New York snowy skyline.

"Did I mention half the time it takes place right in our backyard?" Feister asked.

"This is the greatest city in the world," Specs pointed out. The other newsies nodded in agreement before turning their attention back to the sap fest. The intro was rather long, like every other movie in the world. Sappy music was playing in the background as the leading lady was introduced.

"I found Cowboy's long lost sister!" Henry joked while pointing at the screen, as the nameless leading lady was painting.

"Shut up!" Jack yelled while chucking a pillow at Henry.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **What happened with the small kid skated in between Mush and Feister when there was plenty of space around them is something that actually happened to me and my friend's younger sister last year. All three of us had gone skating and me and pretty much everything you read did happen. Expect for the falling and yelling part. But we did almost fall since it was such a small gap.**

 **Shout out to brighteyes, about the snow, that's good to hear. And as for your review I'm glad you enjoyed it. When Feister is fussing at Mush for eating the popcorn is one of my favorites. That and the ending when they're under the mistletoe.**

 **What did you think? Anyways thanks for reading.**


	5. Midnight (modern AU)

Midnight (modern AU)

11:57 pm

It was the annual Newsies Year Eve party. Most of the other kids from the High School had came over to the Lodge, and things were well...the same as they are every year. Romeo was hitting on high school girls (mostly the seniors) and they all thought he was the cutest little thing imaginable. Much to the other Newsies' surprise.

The tv was playing the countdown special that was happening over in Time Square, while everyone talked and or snacked. Kloppman of course was supervising, making sure no one went up stairs, or did anything illegal. "I thought you said you'd stay near me so Lacey wouldn't bug me," Mush whispered yelled as he walked up to Feister. To keep Lacey away he had asked Feister to stay near him and pretend they were a couple.

"Elmer dragged me into takin' polaroids with the others," the fourteen year old girl exclaimed. "When we were done I couldn't find ya, so I decided to stay here an' let you, find me."

"Well I've been hidin' under tables, in the pantry, and the coat closet!" Mush whispered yelled while pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "That girl is like a elephant!"

"I think you mean hound," Feister corrected while holding back a smile.

"But an elephant has a big nose!" he replied while throwing his arms in the air. Feister just laughed and shook her head. "Anyways, you excited for the new year?" he asked changing the subject.

Feister shrugged as she said, "It's just another year, what's there to be excited about." if she's being honest with herself the new year isn't something to look forward too. It'll just be the same thing over and over again. The boys will tease and yell at each other. She'd tease and yell back at them. Pranks would be played, jokes would be told, and the running around would be endless.

11:58 pm

"But it's a whole new year of opportunities!" Mush exclaimed over the noise of the other people in the room. "Who knows, maybe I'll learn another language."

"Or hurt your head in the process," Feister replied while shoving his head to the side with a smirk across her face. "Why would you of all people want to learn another language for?" the dark haired girl questioned. Mush only smiled innocently and shrugged. In all truths he was going to try to learn a certain language that a small and feisty girl can speak flawlessly.

Just then Mush caught sight of Lacey, from the other side of the room. So thinking quickly he slung an arm around Feister's shoulders as if it was nothing. "How much longer are ya gonna keep this up?" Feister asked while crossing her arms.

"Till she leaves," Mush replied. Now that he really thinks about it, he didn't know why he went out with Lacey way back when. All Lacey ever did was cause a riff with his friendship with Feister. After the day Lacey called it off

"Maybe you should wish that she disappears off the face of the earth at midnight," Feister said with a small laugh. Now, Mush has never been one for wish making. But, if he had one wish, he'd wish for a chance with Feister.

Feister on the other hand didn't know how she felt about the whole acting like a couple thing. Sure, they're close and all, but this time was different. Throughout the night, not once did she fake a smile, or laugh at his dumb jokes. It was actually like they were a real couple

But, Feister knew that it wasn't real. She knew that Mush probably didn't mean any of the little compliments, it was just to keep Lacey away from him, she was just giving a little helping hand. Little did Feister know that Mush did mean all those little compliments. It was pretty obvious to everyone in the room that a dark haired girl and a blue eyed boy liked each other. It was obvious to everyone, except to them.

11:59

"Hey everyone!" Jack yelled at the top of his lungs while standing up on the couch. "It's a minute to midnight!" within seconds everyone gathered into the living room and awaited the count down.

"So, you really have no plans for new years?" Mush asked while looking at Feister with the smallest smile.

"I'd rather wait in see what the new year will bring," Feister replied with a small smile. "Sides, who doesn't like surprises?"

"You're a mystery to me Claire Johnson," Mush said while shaking his head. Which earned himself a elbow to the gut. "Why do you have such sharp elbows?" he asked while holding his side.

"Why are you so dumb all the time?" Feister asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms. Mush just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "No, seriously. Why are you so dumb all the time?" before he could answer she said, "It's cause you've got mush for brains!"

"Put a sock in it," Mush said while shoving Feister's head to the side, making the smaller girl laugh with shining eyes.

10 seconds to midnight.

"Hey stranger," a sweet, but very annoying voice said.

"Lacey," Mush said with a sigh as said girl put her hand on his shoulder.

9 seconds to midnight.

"Can you come help me with something?" the blonde girl asked.

"Actually I'm kinda busy with this little gem," Mush replied while brushing Lacey's hand off his shoulder before slinging an arm around Feister to pull her closer.

8 seconds to midnight

Feister played along as she laid her head on Mush's shoulder with a smile on her face. "Aw, you're sweet," she added for good measure. On one hand, she was very happy that Mush didn't want anything to do with Lacey, but on the other hand she knew as soon as the clock struck midnight the whole charade would be over.

7 seconds to midnight.

"You sure you don't want to change your mind?" Lacey asked.

"Nah, I'm good here," Mush replied with a love sick smile as he looked at Feister through the corner of his eyes.

"Whatever, see if I care," Lacey huffed while crossing her arms before turning on her heels and walked away. And by away I mean she grabbed her coat and walked right out the door.

6 seconds to midnight.

As soon as the door slammed shut Mush and Feister turned to face each other before laughing like crazy. "Did you see her face?" Mush asked through his laughter.

5 seconds to midnight.

"I sure did," Feister replied as she calmed herself down. After a few deep breaths she said, "Looks like you're off the hook."

4 seconds to midnight.

"Looks like I am," Mush said with a sigh. He was a little saddened that the whole acting like a couple was over. But, the deal was that they'd act like a couple until Lacey left.

3 seconds to midnight.

"So, now that we're both off the hook, we can finally do whatever we want," Feister said, trying to put some happiness in her voice. But on the inside she was a little sad that the whole charade was over a lot sooner than she thought it would be.

2 seconds to midnight.

"Looks like it," Mush replied while stuffing his hands in his pockets.

1 second to midnight.

"So-"

12:00 am.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the whole Lodge then exploded with cheers and yells of happiness. Mush and Feister just looked at each other and smiled. Time seemed to slow down, and the sounds of everyone else disappeared. Well, the new year was here, new memories were going to be made, new opportunities were coming, and maybe even some new friends would come across the group of boys, and their girl.

You know how they say that whoever you're with at midnight is the one you're destined to be with? Well, let's just say that a dark haired girl and a blue eyed boy knew about it. But weren't sure how much they believed in it.

" _Maybe this will be the year I finally come clean,"_ they both thought.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **First off I hope you all had a merry Christmas, and a Happy Holidays. Second, I hope you all enjoyed this one shot. It was probably one of my favorites to write seeing as I had this idea since forever. And lastly this is the last one shot for NYC Winter seeing as it's New Years Eve. But don't worry I'll probably come back with more of these next year. Update on the April Fools, a complete train wreck, so that's probably not happening anymore. But know knows, maybe my brain will come up with something in the middle of the night. In case you were confused about the timeline of this one shot, it takes place after PCB, while all the others before this one was after AGN.** **What did you think? Anyways thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a happy new year!**


	6. Rockin' Round the Rink (modern AU)

What once was the beautiful blue summer lake was now frosty white, and full of ice. Thick, snow stuck to everything it touched, making the park into a winter wonderland, and, right behind that landscape, were the tall, silver buildings that reached up into the sky. Yes, that's right. Winter had once again come to New York, and our favorite boys, and the girls decided to spend the day at the ice rink in Central Park. Crutchie was sitting on a nearby bench with a large hot coco with a candy cane. He sipped at it slowly with a smile as he watched his friends lace up their skates before heading out onto the ice. He was sitting alone, until Feister slid behind him and whispered, "If ya see Mush, I'm not here."

"Can't you roller skate?" Crutchie questioned.

"The ice is more dangerous," Feister replied. "It could eat ya alive, just ask the people on the titanic."

"But the people on the ti-"

"Exactly," the smaller girl cut off. "You could fall and get ice burn, not to mention the tiny show offs that could push past ya. Oh, and of course there's always the chance that a limb could get cut off! Have you seen how sharp skates are?" Crutchie chuckled to himself. While all those statements were true, knowing Mush, he was going to get Feister onto the ice, even if he had to carry her there. Meanwhile, Romeo was looking mindlessly around. He saw families, friends, and all kinds of different people, but there was one person in particular he was hoping would be there. "You comin' on the ice Rome?" Race asked as he walked up to the younger boy.

"I need to...adjust my skates," Romeo replied. "They feel a little lose."

"If this is bout Juliet," Race began, for he knew all about Romeo's little cute romance with Juliet. Race just hope they don't die in some tragic way like in the story. "She'll be here fore ya know it. And, a little word of advice-"

"Oh, good job Racer," Albert cut off. "Give the poor kid some messed up advice that'll ruin his life later on."

"Says the guy who hasn't made a move on a little freckled face, blue eyed beauty," Race shot back with a smirk.

"Are we gonna play some puck or what?" Albert asked changing the subject as he tightened his grip on the hockey stick. His face also turned a deep red, but if anyone asked, Albert would blame it on the cold. By this point however. Romeo had slipped away from Race and Albert. The little newsie walked right up to her and said, "It is East and Juliet, is the West." it was a corny thing to do, sure, but corny never stopped Romeo.

"Would you rather skate lover boy, or be a complete sap?" Juliet asked as she placed a hand on her hip. Before Romeo could answer, Mush walked by with Feister slung over his shoulder. Bright side, she wasn't wearing any skates, so Mush was completely safe from getting cut open. Down side, Feister didn't look happy in the slightest. "Don't mind us, as you were," Mush replied as he walked past Romeo and Juliet. As Mush walked away, Feister looked up and said, "Break his heart Julie, and I promise, I'll break your pretty little face!"

"Don't listen to her!" Mush called back. "It's just an empty threat."

"I'll show you empty threat!" Feister replied as she struggled to get out of Mush's grip.

"Anyways…" Romeo started. "May I take you on a magical, icy ride?" he asked with the show winning smile.

"Why not," Juliet shrugged. And with that, the two of them made their way to the ice. Just as they were about to step onto the ice, Davey glided by, holding onto one of those things that little kids used to help keep their balance. The rather tall boy was hunched over and looked like a newborn baby deer trying to walk for the first time.

"Don't judge me," Davey said as he slowly slid by. "Someone has to keep an eye on Les, and I don't trust any of you guys to be responsible adults."

"I think Les is doin' just fine," Romeo replied as he gestured to where Les was skating around the rink. Backwards. Davey grumbled to himself as he tried to get his speed up. Of course he was wobbly seeing as one, the ice is slippery, two, Davey hasn't been ice skating before, plus the fact he isn't the most agile. Luckily, the tall boy regained his balance. Until Sniper crashed into him. "Don't worry!" Sniper called from the ground. "Davey broke ma fall!"

"And I think Sniper broke my spine," Davey groaned from where he laid.

* * *

Race and Albert's game of hockey was cut short, due to the fact that more people were coming onto the ice and (for once) they made the smart choice to stop before someone got hurt. Romeo and Juliet looked like a cute and innocent little couple as they skated around the rink hand in hand. "Who knew a thirteen year old would have more game than you Albie," Race teased with a smirk. Only to see Albert wasn't paying attention to him, and instead was watching a blue eyed girl. "If you can go to Homecoin' with her, then you can ask her to be your girl," Race added while nudging Albert before skating away.

Meanwhile Jack had slipped and fell way more than Katherine, who found this funny. Of course, Jack didn't think it was funny. Mush and Feister on the other hand were well...it was entertaining to watch Feister skate to say the least. The weird thing is though, she knows how to rollerblade, which is the same as ice skating. So the science why she can't skate didn't make sense. Davey was still using something to help him skate around, while Les was skating on the inside of the rink. Which we all know where the fast skaters are. And quite frankly, Davey had to wonder how a ten year old was better at this then he was!

Finch was admiring the pigeons that were watching from the snow covered trees, while Specs was cleaning the fog from his glasses off. Henry was taking a break from skating. He sat next to Crutchie with a hot coco in his hand. Kid Blink, Elmer and Tommy boy were throwing snow at each other while skating around the rink. Buttons was pulling Sniper up from yet another crash. While the twins were charming the ladies. Obviously it wasn't working, but that didn't stop them from trying. Jojo was third wheeling Romeo and Juliet, who didn't mind the older boy's company. But Romeo was getting annoyed with Jojo's presents. And of course, there was Brooklyn skating flawlessly around the rink. She was lost in her own world when she crashed into someone. She shook her head and tried to say something, but she was cut off before she even opened her mouth. "Hey there beautiful."

"Oscar," Brooklyn replied quietly. One of the few things Brooklyn knew while living in Lower Manhattan was that Oscar was bad news, and she should stay away from him (and Morris) at all costs. "If you'll excuse me, I'll just go." when Brooklyn tried to skate away, she was blocked by someone else. Her blue eyes soon saw it was the other half of the Delancey brothers. "Morris," Brooklyn said in an unpleasant tone. "How lovely," she mumbled while getting up.

"We just wanna talk doll face," Oscar smirked.

"I don't really want to talk," Brooklyn replied. "So if you could just move out of the way." but, the no good brothers blocked her way. At that point, Brooklyn didn't know what to do, she wasn't tough like the boys or Feister. Plus, this was her first encounter with the Delanceys, so it was kind of nerve wracking.

"Aw, she's such an innocent little girl, ain't she Oscar," Morris said with a smile that Brooklyn didn't like the look of.

"I'm not that little," Brooklyn corrected trying to put up a tough act. But it obviously wasn't working, she was much smaller than both of them, and it didn't help Brooklyn's nerves that she was standing on ice. _"What was that thing Feister said?"_ Brooklyn thought. _"You're only small if you let them treat you like that,"_ she remembered. "I could take both of you down before you even blink," Brooklyn added trying to sound confident. This only made the Delanceys start moving toward her, so she backed away. "I'm serious. Stay back or-"

"Or what?" Morris taunted. "You'll hit us?"

"Is there a problem here boys?" Brooklyn sighed in relief when she heard that familiar voice. The tall boy had skated in front of her, to keeping some distance from the Delancey brothers "Did they hurt ya, Fun Size?" Albert asked while glancing back toward Brooklyn.

"Don't worry Red," Brooklyn replied with relief in her voice. "They didn't do anything." Albert nodded before looking back at the Delanceys. He held his hockey stick with a tight grip in both hands. If the worst came, he'd have to use it. "Good," Albert said as he glared at the no good brothers. "Cause if they did, they'd have to answer to me."

"I'm shaking in my pants Dasilva," Oscar mocked.

"Two against one is unfair ya know," another voice added. Brooklyn smiled when she saw her brother had come up to settle things with the Delenceys. She just hoped it wouldn't result in a fist fight.

"Make that threeee - WoAH! OoWwW...I hate ice skatin'," a third voice mumbled in pain from the fall. Albert and Mush were quick to help Feister up, who was wobbly on her feet and had to lean on them for support. "I'm good," she said to the boys. To the Delanceys, Feister said, "You really should know by now you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. You may think Freckles is fresh meat for you to pick on, but I promise you, if you mess with my sister, you'll be answerin' to my fist."

"I'm so scared of someone who's shorter than a-" before Morris could finish. Feister tried (key word tried) to launch herself at the younger Delancey brother. But sadly, Mush and Albert held her back. "At least lemme whack 'em like a pinata with that hockey stick of yours Gingerbread!"

"Yeah, I don't think so," Albert said. "As entertain' that would look," he thought out loud. That's when the Delanceys made a quick escape out of the rink.

"Yeah! You better run ya cowards!" Feister yelled as Mush and Albert continued to hold her back. Once things had calmed down, Feister was let go. Which wasn't the smartest idea seeing as she's not the best at skating. "My butt has gone numb with bruises thanks to you," she said while the boys helped her back up.

"Thanks for doing that," Brooklyn said with a smile on her face.

"Course sis. There was no way I was gonna let Al here have all the fun runnin' those suckers off," Mush replied while lightly punching Brooklyn's shoulder.

"Anytime Fun Size," Albert replied with a smirk.

"I really need to teach ya how to be tough," Feister replied with a little wink and a smirk. "Sides," she skated over to Brooklyn's side (without slipping) slung an arm around the older girl and said, "Not only are ya a part of the family, but us girls gotta look out for each other, or somethin' stupid like that."

"Yeah, somethin' like that," Brooklyn replied, mimicking Feister's accent. The dark haired girl smiled just as a tiny kid skated right in between them. Causing the girls to fall onto the ice.

"That's it!" Feister screamed. "Someone's losin' a limb today! I'm lookin' at you, ya little runt!" The young boy's mother gave a disapproving look to Feister, who continued to glare down the little kid. "Get your kid under control and maybe there wouldn't be a problem lady!" Feister added in her usual "don't mess with me" tone.

"Sorry to say ma'am, but she does have a point," Brooklyn piped up. "If your kid, who I'm sure is a very nice boy-"

"What she's tryin' to say is, tell ya kid to stop bein' a show of cause our friend here has two left feet when on the ice," Albert interjected. "Sides, there's plenty of space around the rink for the little runt to skate round."

"Teens today," the woman said with the disapproving mom look. "Maybe if the girl with the loud mouth didn't hang around you ragamuffins-"

"Ok! That's it!" Feister exclaimed. "No one insults these boys but me lady!" before anything could happen, Mush quickly picked Feister up by the waist and slung her over his shoulder. "Well, this has been fun, but I'm gonna go cool off this little firecracker," Mush said. "No funny business," he added while pointing at Albert with the protective brother face before skating away.

"That was...interesting," Brooklyn said as she processed what just happened.

"That's New York for ya," Albert said as he slung an arm around the shorter girl. "Ya never know what kind of crazy people you'll meet."

"Can't argue with that logic," Brooklyn replied with a tilted head.

"Enjoy that while ya can Bertie," Race said as he skated past. "It's the only thing in life you'll ever get right."

"And I would enjoy your life while ya still have it cause Imma kill ya Racetrack middle name I don't know Higgins!" Albert exclaimed while clenching the hockey stick tightly.

"Later sweetheart," Race said to Brooklyn with a playful smirk. He sent her a quick wink before skating off just as Albert started to chase after him. All the while Brooklyn watched the two boys play the game of cat and mouse around the rink. "LOOK OUT!" two voices yelled. Brooklyn turned around and just before she could process what was happening, Davey and Sniper had crashed into her. "My bad," Sniper groaned.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **And that's the first one shot of the return of NYC Winter. I think what I enjoyed writing the most was Feister and Sniper's constant crashing and falling. Davey having to use one of those box things kinds use while skating, and of course, the sisterly moment with Feister and Brooklyn...before a kid ruined it. I hope you enjoy the first installment of NYC Winter, there should be each week, but the next one is coming this Saturday.**


	7. Lightin' up the Lodge (modern AU)

"Ok boys, and girls," Jack said as he clapped his hands together. "Today is the first Saturday of December, so ya know what that means?"

"That the weekend is finally here and we can party?!" Jojo exclaimed in an excited tone.

"I'll break out the-"

"NO!" Jack cut off before things got too far. He took a deep breath in, and slowly released a few times. How he managed to deal with this for his entire life was one of the biggest questions he has. But Jack knew it was better to go with the flow of things rather than question for safety reasons. "Today is the day we can decorate the Lodge and play cheesy Christmas music." two out of the many holiday rules regarding Christmas was the first Saturday of December was the day they'd decorate, and finally play the sappy music. The newsies who had more than one brain cell couldn't bare thinking about Christmas until December first. And the rest were already blaring "Jingle Bell Rock" a week before Thanksgiving. Before Thanksgiving. So the rule came about not to play it until December first. But of course, newsies have a way with bending the rules. So you can imagine the ruckus the second midnight comes. But, that's beside the point. "Alright, Race, Specs, Albert and Finch, you guys are on tree duty as usual. And bring Freckles with ya. You'll need a girl's opinion on the tree,"

"Hey!" three out of the four boys yelled in an offended tone.

"We're capable of pickin' a tree!" Race yelled.

"Last year you four picked a tree that looked like a troll's bad haircut and none of the decorations could stick," Jack replied as memories of that travesty last year. Buttons had suggested hot gluing the popcorn strings since that was the only thing they could afford throwing away with the tree. And let's not forget the mess it took to get the lights to stay on without getting hidden behind the branches.

"Plus, it'll be a lot easier takin' votes on which tree to pick with an odd number of people, and I won't be the only one tryin' to range you animals away from pretty girls and the hot coco stand," Specs said while glaring at Race, Albert and Finch. Brooklyn sat there with a worried look on her face, wondering what she was about to get into. It couldn't be that bad finding a tree. "Fine," the three boys whined while getting off the couch and going to get their boots, coats and everything else that would keep them warm in the harsh New York cold. Specs and Brooklyn followed in suit before heading out the door.

"While they're doin' that. Jojo, Mush and Tommy, start gettin' the decorations down from the attic, Henry, Blink, Elmer, halfway point, and the rest of ya take a box and set it wherever. Then I'll assign a task to each of ya after we finish," Jack said. And with that, the boys, and Feister started to work on getting the Christmas boxes down from the attic and into the living room.

* * *

"Is finding a tree really that hard?" Brooklyn asked Specs quietly as they walked to the tree pop up stand with Finch. Race and Albert were finding a parking spot since there was nothing open closer, and the sooner they find a tree, the quicker they can go back to the Lodge.

"Jack's over exaggerating Freckles," Finch replied with a wave of his hand. "We ain't that much trouble. In fact we're - OH! Hot coco!" and with that, Finch ran off to wait in line for a cup of the sweet chocolate drink.

"Let the horror that is findin' a tree begin," Specs said in a serious tone He shook his head before turning to Brooklyn with a smile on his face, "You take that row, and I'll take that one. Oh! And if a big scary lookin' dad comes by askin' if ya saw a scrawny ginger and a blonde boy, say you didn't see 'em, cause then Race and Al would end up in the hospital. And that's the last thing we need right now," Specs explained before walking away. Leaving Brooklyn confused with a worried look on her face. Nodding to herself, Brooklyn started looking for a tree while humming Christmas songs. There were so many different shaped trees, all with their sweet smelling pine.

"Did ya find anythin'!?" a voice asked, making Brooklyn jump up and turned around to see a smirking redhead. "Forgot you were jumpy."

"Not funny," Brooklyn grumbled. She wasn't the biggest fan of Albert's rather annoying jokes and sarcasm. Although they did go to Homecoming together, that didn't really mean anything. They both didn't have a date and Albert ended up asking her last minute most likely because someone talked him into it. That's how Brooklyn ended up going. And while it was a nice night together, that's all it was. Albert was just being nice to his friend's sister. Nothing much of it. Brooklyn sighed knowing she was over thinking again as she went back to looking at trees.

"Lighten up will ya?" Albert said as he went after Brooklyn. He wished she would break out of that shell and let everything loose for once. Though Brooklyn was better at her social skills than when she first came to the Lodge. She was still stuck in her shell. The only times Brooklyn looked like her real self was when she was dancing. And even then, she's shy about it. The times Albert had to take boxes to the basement he would often catch a little peek of the blue eyed beauty dancing away. He was never caught because she was too lost in another world. And that's what Albert likes about Brooklyn. She's always has a dreamy far off look in her eyes. "It ain't my fault you're so easily scared. You really should be used to this by now ya know. If you think I'm loud, you should hear Race scream. He sounds like a little girl."

"I do not!" Race yelled from...wherever he was in the mini pop up tree farm.

Albert laughed and Brooklyn rolled her eyes as she took a delicate branch into her finger tips and took a whiff of the pine needles. "Real pine will always smell better than candles," she quietly said to herself with a smile.

"It's just pine needles," Albert replied in an obvious tone. "I highly doubt that the smell of a tree matters to the look. Just pick one and you're good to go."

"It doesn't matter what it looks like on the outside Red, but what's on the inside," Brooklyn replied as she continued to examine the branches.

"You've been watchin' way too many Disney movies," Albert replied as he crossed his arms. "Sides, this tree looks like it's a cotton candy hot mess." Brooklyn heavily sighed before walking away to find another tree. Albert followed and would point to every other good looking tree. Brooklyn would shake her head and move on. To say the least, Albert and Brooklyn couldn't seem to agree on one, single tree as they walked around for a good ten minutes before bumping into Specs, who asked, "Did ya find anythin'?"

"Well, I found one-"

"Correction, you were smelling it," Albert cut off.

"But this one said it was a cotton candy hot mess," Brooklyn finished. Specs shook his head with an amused look on his face. "Little somethin' to know bout Al, is to never listen to anythin' he says. He don't know good lookin' from ugly."

"Hey!" Albert shouted in an offended tone.

"Let's take a look at this hot mess cotton tree of yours Freckles," Specs said. Brooklyn smiled and lead Specs to the tree she was at moments ago.

* * *

"Mush Meyers I swear if you take one more popcorn I will soak ya!" Feister yelled as Mush innocently chewed on the popcorn that was meant to decorate the tree. The reason why Feister was always given this task was because she had the smallest fingers, hence she could easily thread the needles and get it through the popcorn with ease. But this also meant that someone would always steal a popcorn or a handful.

"Trees don't eat popcorn!" Mush yelled back. "Why let it go to waste?" he asked while going in for another handful, but sadly, Feister resorted to pricking his hand with the needle to get him to stop. "What was that for?"

"Do you see any blood?" Feister asked. "I don't think so! Sides, popcorn can decorate a tree ya idiot! Now go do something useful like movin' the boxes outta the way so the nightmare twins, Finch, Specs and your sister can get the tree through to the corner."

"You just wanna see me use these muscles," Mush said with a little smirk.

"Oh, is that what we're callin' limp noodles now?" Feister asked innocently with those eyes.

Mush shook his head as he went to go help move the boxes into the basement. "I swear, that girl hasn't changed since we started datin'," Mush said to Kid Blink.

"Did ya really think Feisty would become one of those girls who obsess over their boyfriends, and fall for everythin' they do?" Kid Blink asked in a shocked tone.

"Nah," Mush replied with a smile. "I'm glad she's still her usual feisty self, and not one of those girlfriends." Kid Blink laughed and shook his head while opening the door to the basement and headed down with Mush and Jack.

"Your other left!" Mike yelled. But Ike didn't hear that in time, because the next thing the two boys knew, was that they were tangled. Again.

"Can someone give us a hand here?" Ike asked. Henry and Sniper quickly went to untangle the twins from the strings of colorful lights.

Crutchie was busy winding garland around the staircase railing. It was made out of fake pine needles that had pinecones and golden lights. To wind around the polls were candy-cane stripe ribbon. This was an easy job for Crutchie to do with his bad leg, plus he could keep a lookout for when Race, Albert, Specs, Finch and Freckles came back with the tree. Of course there was also getting to talk to Kloppman, who usually watched the newsies decorate the Lodge, and would help when it was needed.

Tommy boy was hanging up stockings with Romeo, who wouldn't stop talking about how amazing Juliet is. "She's real somethin' Tommy," Romeo beamed.

"Oh I bet," Tommy replied. "Ya haven't stopped talkin' bout her." which made Romeo blush, and Tommy roll his eyes at the hopeless romantic.

Jojo was carefully setting up the manger on the window, while Buttons and Elmer were hanging up snowflakes and angels. Along with the manger on the window sill, there was a snow blanket where Santa's village was. Reindeer, elves, and snowmen were perfectly set and spaced from each other. With that being done, the three boys went to go work on the dining room window.

"In comin'!" Crutchie yelled, catching the attention of the others. Which could only mean one thing. The tree was here. And in a matter of seconds, the door flew open, letting a gust of cold wind and snow come into the warm Lodge. A big, green tree plopped halfway inside. Before anyone could process what was going on, Race popped up from behind the tree and said, "Good news, we found a tree! Bad news, we can't get it through the door."

"On another bright side!" Albert added as he popped up from the other side. "It'll make the place smell so much like Christmas that it'll last till Fourth of July when it's supposed to smell like BBQ and sweet apple pie."

"Other bad news!" Finch piped up. "Race's drivin' made my stomach turn inside out that I feel like tossin' up some marshmallows."

"More good news! We got Freckles as soon as we found out we left her at the tree farm," Specs shouted.

"Bad news, it took half an hour for the idiots to get me back," Brooklyn added in a slightly bitter tone.

"I'm finally rubbin' off on ya," Feister said with a proud smile at Brooklyn's use of the word "idiots". Anyways, the boys and two girls went to work on getting the tree through the doorway. It took awhile and it didn't help that the tree sap was sticky, but eventually the tree was put into its pot in the corner. The bare green tree looked beautiful in it's spot. But, knowing in the next couple of hours, it would look gorgeous after some handy work. As they got busy with decorating the tree, Christmas music was playing in the background. The boys sang along on the lines on horribly and somewhat good while doing goofy dances. "Ya bummers are makin' my ears bleed!" Feister shouted as she threw some tinsel at the boys. But of course, the boys went on with their obnoxious singing. "You're all so annoyin'!" Feister added while covering her ears to drown out the awful sound.

"We love you too," the boys replied happily.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **This was yet another fun one shot to write. I loved getting to play around with Brooklyn's character a bit more. I think finally getting the feel on who she is and how she fits into the group. On another note, Mush will probably think twice before stealing more popcorn with Feister and that needle. Do I feel bad for doing that? Kinda. But was it worth it for a laugh? Absolutely. I love writing these two crazy kids together. And of course there was the little tree finding adventure. I mean...at least Race and Albert didn't get chased by a big scary guy and almost fall into yellow snow...so that's good. I can't say much for Finch's love of hot coco though, as well as Specs and Brooklyn dealing with the crazy bunch. There was a tiny reference to something that happened during the tour. Hopefully all you fansies can spot it easily. Anyways, since I've got a one shot for each week this month I decided to try and post them every Saturday. That just about wraps up this one shot, I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!**


	8. Winter Wonderland (modern AU)

"C'mon! There's gonna be a blizzard, half the city has shut down, so quit takin' bout Christmas sales and just get to the part where you say which the schools close!" Jojo yelled as he chucked a pillow at the TV. The newsies, plus Brooklyn, Katherine and the Jacobs brothers were all in the Lodging house's living room, either sitting on the couch or sprawled on the floor. The weather channel playing on the TV as they all waited for the list of schools being shut down due to the blizzard.

"I don't know why anyone would want the school to close just because of a little snow," Davey said in a plain tone. This prompted the newsies to look at Davey as if he actually lost his mind this time. "What?" Davey asked innocently. "Education is important for the mind."

"Big whoop!" Race scoffed as he waved a hand in the air. "If it were up to me, I'd say we skip the whole learnin' thing and do whatever we want, when we want!" the blonde boy exclaimed while standing up on the couch. The newsies all cheered in agreement, causing Davey to groan.

"And now for the lists of schools that will be closed until further notice," the news anchor said before listing off the schools that would be closing. But with each name came with disappointment. It felt like a lifetime as they all waited endlessly for their school to be listed off.

"How many schools are in this stinking city?" Sniper huffed as he slumped into the couch. Davey was about to open his mouth when the younger boy cut him off, "That was a rhetorical question Mouth!"

"Lower Manhattan Middle," the news anchor said.

"YYEESS!" Les and Romeo both yelled as they jumped up on the couch and high fived each other. The two boys did a little happy dance as they bounced up and down on the couch.

"Shut it dimwits," Albert grumbled at the two boys. "An' stop jumpin' while you're at it. It's makin' me sick an' I's ain't drivin' ya to the hospital in this weather, if ya bang your head," the redhead stated in a grumpy tone.

"Oh put a sock in it ya Grinch," Romeo replied as he plopped back down on the couch. "Just cause you still have to go to school that don't mean ya gotta rain on my parade."

Before anything else could happen, the news anchor said, "And that's the end of the list folks." needless to say, the newsies, and the girls were disappointed, Davey was happy, while Les and Romeo taunted them about having to go to school on a snow day while they get to stay home and do nothing productive "Just kidding," the news anchor said, catching everyones' attention. "There's one more school closing, and that's you World High!" while everyone was happy about this new found information, Davey was sad about it.

"We really need to get him a life," Race said as he watched Davey whack himself with a pillow while mumbling the periodic table of elements. Or maybe it was math. Either way, Race stood by his statement. Davey needs a life that doesn't involve dangerous chemicals or big numbers you have to remember.

* * *

"And there's our pretty ladies," Romeo beamed as the two girls (finally) walked into the kitchen that morning. "You two sure took your sweet time. But, then again, it does take a long time to get your pretty princess faces all dolled up," the thirteen year old romantic said with a flirtatious tone.

"Call me "princess" again, and it'll be the last thing you Casa-NO!" Feister snapped as she walked to the cabinet to get some food.

"Yeah!" Mush agreed. "Cause that's my job."

"No it's not," Feister replied while pulling out a box of cereal. She didn't bother to make any sort of eye contact with her boyfriend whatsoever and went about to get some food into her stomach ASAP. The morning went on with the usual jokes, and trying to work their way around the kitchen to get some breakfast while making sure no one bumps into anyone else. Only this time, Christmas music was playing in the background as everything happened. And soon enough it was done with breakfast and off to the park for a fun snow day. The whole city seemed to stand still as the group of boys and two girls made their way to the park. The snow was the kind that stuck to everything, so New York looked absolutely beautiful cover in white. Stores were still closed, and the roads were closed off. So it was hard tracking through the sidewalk since it also wasn't cleared yet. But it was still a sight to see. It was a rare sight for the city that never sleeps.

"C'mon ya slow pokes!" Sniper yelled as he started running towards the park. "Last one there is dumber than a Delancey!"

"Eat snow!" Finch yelled as he threw a snowball at the younger boy. Before you knew it, all the boys started running as fast as they could to the park while Brooklyn lagged behind a bit. She was more of a sit down and watch on the sideline girl, rather than be in the middle of the action. Of course, someone just had to turn around and run up to her.

"Quit bein' slow, will ya doll face" Albert said as he ran up to the smaller girl. "Brighten up! There's no school for awhile and we get to run this city like it's ours!"

"I'd rather cozy up with a good movie playing with some hot coco in hand," Brooklyn replied with a shrug as she kicked up a little ball of snow. It was nice Albert was trying to include in her the snowy activity. But she would rather be all cozy with a nice fluffy blanket and cute Christmas movie playing. "You know what, I think I'm just gonna head back. You go on and have fun Red." just as Brooklyn tried to turn around, Albert grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the park.

"C'mon, snow days are full of fun!" Albert exclaimed happily "Just look at the smiles on Elmer and Henry's faces."

"LOOK OUT!" Elmer yelled as he and Henry crashed into the snowman Crutchie and Tommy boy were making. A bunch of snow chunks sored up into the air, before slowly starting to fall back down. "Take cover!" Elmer yelled before anyone was chucked in the head.

"Ok, bad example," Albert quickly added. "Take a look at Jack and Feisty. They're havin' a fun snowball-"

"EAT SNOW KELLY!" Feister's voice rang through the air as she tackled Jack into the frosty white snow that covered the ground. Oh..that's right. Albert completely forgot about the little rivalry Jack and Feister had when it came to snowballs. Usually when there would be a team up, all hell would break loose in that park. It was every man, or woman for themselves.

"Hey look over there!" Albert exclaimed as he turned Brooklyn around. "Racer's apparently doin' snow angels...face first in the ground. Seriously Racer?!" Albert yelled. "And you say I do stupid stuff!"

"I want the angel to have my good looks," Race said proudly as he stood up and admired his snowy art work. Only to have it ruined in a matter of seconds thanks to Les and Buttons' sled. "Why you little-" Race was cut off by Davey, who threw snowballs at him before anything else was said. "Ok, you asked for it." and so, Race went in and tackled Davey into the snow as payback.

"Ok all bad examples, I'll admit that," Albert said as he quickly stood in front of Brooklyn. Both his hands were placed on her shoulders as he leaned down to look her in the eye. "But, it can still be a fun snow filled day!" the redhead exclaimed as he once again grabbed Brooklyn's hand and started to pull her somewhere. Brooklyn soon figured out that Albert's plan was a sled ride down the hill. "Um...it's pretty high up," Brooklyn said as she watched Albert angle the sled just right. "And...is it really safe to sled down this hill? I mean what if we crash into something or kill an innocent snow angel?"

"You're not scared of a little sled ride, are ya?" Albert asked with a raised eyebrow and a little smirk across his mouth.

"I-ah. No..." Brooklyn stammered.

"Then let's go!" Albert exclaimed as he patted the front of the sled for Brooklyn to sit down on. In a matter of moments the blue eyed girl sat down and held onto the rope with her hands. "Hang on tight!" Albert yelled as he pushed the sled before quickly jumping onto it with ease. The two of them went down the hill at a high speed. Or at least to Brooklyn it was a high speed. "We're gonna crash!" Brooklyn exclaimed as the sled quickly approached the new snowman Crutchie and Tommy boy were trying to make.

"Move outta the way ya traffic cones!" Albert yelled. Which sent Crutchie and Tommy running before they were buried in the snow. The sled soon crashed into what was supposed to be the snowman's base. Chunks of snow went flying into the air and landed back down on the ground. Brooklyn fell off as soon as the sled slowed down while Albert managed to stay on...before falling off a few feet away from her. "Let's do that again," Albert said as he sat up with a wide smile on his face.

Brooklyn lifted her head up from the ground and spit out some snow before saying, "I'd rather not, thank you very much." she sat up straight and wiped the remaining snow off her face. Albert couldn't help but smile as he watched Brooklyn wipe the snow off her face to reveal that cute freckled face of hers. Her blue eyes seemed to shine with the snowy white background. "What're you looking at?" Brooklyn asked.

"Your pretty face," Albert replied simply, which caused Brooklyn's cheeks to turn a frosty pink.

"How bout you take it easy on the new kid Tomato Soup and go crash into somethin' with Blueberry Pie," Feister said as she walked up to Brooklyn and helped her back onto her feet in one swift move.

"Aww, but Freckles is _SO_ much more fun to hang round with than little Blueberry Muffin," Albert replied with a disappointed face.

"I take offence to that!" Race yelled as he threw, not a snowball, but a snow chunk at Albert to show just how annoyed he was. Before long, Race stormed right up to Albert and said, "I am not becomin' a third wheel lover boy!"

"Put a lid on it Little Boy Blue!" Albert exclaimed as he tackled Race into the snow. "And quit callin' me "lover boy", do I look like Romeo?!" the two boys started to go at it while exchanging insults to one another. This was nothing new considering that one second Race and Albert are like two peas in a pod, and the next they're ready to kill each other.

"You-"

"Get used to it," Brooklyn finished before Feister could. "Yeah...I don't think I ever will," the older girl laughed. It was true, Brooklyn wasn't sure if she would ever be used to all the craziness that happens all the time. Feister was obviously used to it since she's grown up with these boys. But Brooklyn is a different story. She was only brought to the Lodge since siblings can't be separated. And while it's nice being with her brother again, the newsies were one wild bunch. Brooklyn is a fish out of water. She isn't sure what to expect from these boys, and her natural reaction is that something bad would happen.

"Give it time," Feister replied as she watched Race and Albert roll around in the snow like the five year olds they are. "Before ya know it Freckles, you'll love these suckers. As, annoyin' as they are." Brooklyn let out a little laugh, hoping what Feister said was true. While Brooklyn wished she was more like Feister sometimes. By the end of the day, she was glad to have a friend like Feister to help her navigate through life with these boys. "So, you wanna go shove snow down your brother's back?" Feister asked in such an innocent tone that it made Brooklyn question how that was even possible.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **Welp, there's another one shot for you. A few Race and Davey moments for those of you who enjoy that odd friendship** **;) it really is fun writing those two whackos together. There were also more Alblyn moments, yay! Is that progress? Maybe? I don't know. You'll just have to wait and find out. And while Race wasn't fanboying over the ship, it was still funny when he was griping about his best bro abandoning him for a girl.** **But never** **fear my friends, fanboy Race will make a few more appearances. I can't forget about about the** **sisterly moments with Feister and Brook. I love writing moment for them so much! Little heads up for the next one shot, it's _full_ of chaos, and is one of my very favorites. But until then, I hope you enjoyed this one shot, thanks for reading and I'll see ya next week!**


	9. Bad Baking (modern AU)

"THE OVEN IS ON FIRE!" Sniper shouted at the top of his lungs for the whole city to hear as everyone else ran into the kitchen as the smoke detectors beeped loudly.

"THANKS A LOT CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!" Feister replied sarcastically as the thick black smoke seeped through the cracks of the oven door.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR SARCASM!" Sniper yelled back

"IS NOBODY WORRIED THAT THERE'S STILL A FIRE IN THE OVEN?!" Brooklyn asked loudly while the boys stood there and did nothing to stop the oven fire, or smoke detectors from beeping loudly to the point she felt a ringing in her ear as it pounded in her head like a drum.

"WELL WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE WE DO MISS SMARTY PANTS?!" Race yelled back while throwing his arms into the air as he started to panic a bit. Since Jack was out helping Katherine with something, he was in charge until Jack's return. "USE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IDIOT!" everyone yelled at Race, who went to grab the fire extinguisher from under the sink cabinet. Sniper stepped back from the oven while Specs and Finch tried to turn off the smoke detector as everyone else went to open the windows or wave the smoke away.

Race turned off the heat before opening the oven door. A thick black cloud of smoke escaped. Race took a deep breath, but ended up coughing from the smoke he breathed in. Anyway, Race pointed the hose into the oven, tightly closed his eyes, looked away and started to - *record scratch, freeze frame to Race putting the oven fire out* _"Yup, that's me you're reading bout. You all must be askin' yourself, "what in the world did you do now Racetrack Higgins?!" said with a sigh and facepalm, if I had to guess. Anyways, I'll tell you what "in the world did you do now". Well, you see -"_

 _*Author steps in*. "Race, sweetie, as lovely as your narration is going and while it's nice to have a break from writing, how about I tell the story. You always get side tracked, or stretch the story just by a lot to the point it's unbelievable. Plus, you've got a fire to put out."_

 _"But my story is way more interesting!" *glares at Race* "UGH, fine. While I'm puttin' this fire out, that isn't my fault FYI! You tell the story."_

 _"I'll let the readers decide that."_

FLASHBACK TO THAT MORNING

"Ok boys, and ladies," Race said as he clapped his hands together. "While Jack is out helpin' Kath with somethin' stupid. There's no school, and since the cable ain't workin' thanks to the snow storm, I hear by declare the the newsies of Lower Manhattan become the bakers of Lower Manhattan!" silence. "Oh c'mon fellas!" the blonde exclaimed. "It's a good idea!"

"Ya mean like that time you stepped on a banana peel just to see if you'd actually trip and fall?" Romeo asked.

"What'd bout that time you set the microwave on fire?" Buttons replied.

"Don't forget bout the time you got stuck in the claw machine," Albert said in an obvious tone.

"Wait?" Brooklyn asked making the boys look at her. "All that happened?" she practically yelled.

"And much more Freckles," Feister replied casually while crossing her arms. "We keep a list. And it's honestly surprisin' that Race hasn't killed us, or himself yet from all the stupid things he's done in his short seventeen years on this planet."

"I'm standin' right here!" Race exclaimed while throwing his arms in the air. Ok, so what he's done a few things in life that weren't the best choice ever made. It wasn't his fault all those things happened. It was more like terrible timing for him. But of course, that never stopped Race from doing...whatever whenever.

"We know," everyone, but Brooklyn replied.

"The last time we baked the kitchen became one giant cookie," Henry pointed out. A few mummers of agreements could be heard along with Race's loud groans. "It's true an' you know it Racer!" Henry exclaimed at the blonde boy. "The whole place was a mess! We're all lucky that we didn't break a bone or somethin' from all the trippin' an' fallin'!"

"That was two years ago," Race said brushing it off. "We're older and more responsible now," Race added with a huge smile. "Look, it's either bake cookies or get on each others' nerves before we all start to lose it." and with that being said, it was off to the kitchen to make some cookies. "Ok, so, what're we doin' first?" Race asked.

"It was your idea," Jojo replied in a sassy tone. "How bout you tell us."

"Fine, I will," Race sassed back. The blonde boy thought for a few moments before saying, "Ok, um...Albert, Henry, Blink, Freckles, and Sniper, time to batter it up." this joke was met with silence. Race thought at least Albert would laugh since he's on the baseball team. But, sadly for him, the redhead didn't react whatsoever. "Oh, c'mon, that was funny!" more silence. "Fine, be that way," Race huffed. "Finch, Crutchie, Tommy and lovebirds, ice it up."

"The last time we made icin' it spilled," Feister pointed out.

"Along with the batter," Tommy boy reminded.

"Don't forget the milk," Kid Blink added.

"I was washin' food dye outta my-"

"OK WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!" Brooklyn yelled with a disgusted look on her face.

"Arms and hands for weeks," Mush finished in a deadpanned tone. "What did ya think I was gonna say?!" he asked while looking at his sister.

"How was I supposed to know what you were gonna say!" Brooklyn yelled back.

"Telepathy," Albert pointed out with a wide smile on his face. "Can't ya read each others' minds with that weird creepy twin bond or whatever?"

"We don't have telepathy," Mush and Brooklyn replied at the same time.

"Yeah. That's just a stupid myth," Mike and Ike added. The newsies and Feister gave both sets of twins the "yeah sure" look. "Telepathy is not a thing!" all four of them replied. But of course, the newsies and Feister weren't convinced before going back to listing all the things that went wrong the last time they baked cookies.

"UGH!" Race groaned. "So what we spilled some icin' and milk. Or that Mush became tie dyed or that Henry became an egghead. A little flour never killed anybody an' so what your toe broke, there's no real proof that it actually happened. It coulda been swollen for all we know. That was years ago, we're responsible enough to handle a few batches of measly cookies."

FIVE MINUTES LATER

The newsies, Feister and Brooklyn all stood or sat where they were as they looked at the now messy kitchen. All was going just fine, until Elmer tripped over his own two feet which made Jojo bump into Brooklyn, who ended up slipping because she was wearing socks. When Albert lent a hand to help her up, Brooklyn also grabbed the top of the island, and the batter bowl with it. So, in other words, not only did batter fall onto Brooklyn's head, but Albert also went tumbling to the ground.

Meanwhile with team icing, let's just say history was repeating itself. Romeo wasn't watching where he was going, so he ended up tripping over Albert's legs and went crashing into Mush who was holding the food dye. And, it doesn't end there. While trying to get the broom and mop to clean the mess up, Buttons knocked over the brown sugar box, which ended up on top of Tommy boy's head. Finch had bumped into Henry and there went the milk and eggs. The white sugar was also gone because it had slipped out of Sniper's hands when he tripped over his own two feet. And as for everyone else, they either tripped or slipped on something, or were still standing with gaped mouths at the huge mess. It sure was a good thing Kloppman wasn't there at the moment, otherwise, the old man would probably have a heart attack.

"Ok, minor set back," Race started. "But we can still make this work!"

"How? Jojo asked sassily. "Half the stuff is either on the floor or on our clothes. Not to mention the entire kitchen is one big batter bowl And there's nothin' left for us to make any cookies."

"And this is why this thing called a food store was made," Race replied slowly.

"Food shopin' ain't till-"

"Shut up leprechaun!" Race snapped before Albert could finish. "I say after gettin' ourselves cleaned up, half of us will head to the store and the other takes care of the mess in here. And instead of makin' cookies from scratch, how bout some of that instant mix stuff and pre-made icin'. All ya gotta do is add veggie oil, couple eggs, slap 'em suckers into the oven and BAM! Instant cookies." so it was settled that Finch, Albert, Henry, Jojo, Brooklyn, Tommy boy, Sniper, and Romeo would go to the store, get the stuff for the cookies and whatever else was on the grocery list for that week, while Race, Specs, Crutchie, Kid Blink, Mush, Elmer, Mike, Ike, and Feister would stay at the Lodge and clean up the messy kitchen.

* * *

"So Finchie, who's gettin' what?" Romeo asked as the small group entered the grocery store.

"Um...break up into teams of two, divide and conquer," Finch replied quietly. He wasn't much of the leading type per-say. And definitely wasn't qualified to make sure things don't get out of hand. But of course, the blonde boy had to figure something out. It was either that or go curl up by the flower shop and stay there. "Let's each take a section of the list and then meet right here. Rome, you're comin' with me. Freckles, keep an eye on Al, would ya?"

"I'm offended that you're puttin' a sixteen year old girl in change of someone who's much more mature," Albert said as he crossed his arms. "No offence to you doll face. You're a gem." Albert added with his best smile. "But I'm obviously more qualified to carry our little team of two. After all I did carry both the school b-ball team to the finals three times in a row. Back to back champ, am I right," Albert said as he put his hand up for Romeo to high five. But the younger boy left him hanging.

"Is he always like this?" the blue eyed girl asked while pointing her thumb to the redheaded boy.

"Sadly," Finch replied. "Ok. Henry and Snipe, you go together, which leaves Jo and Tommy." soon enough the list was divided into four equal parts and the teams each grabbed a basket and went about the store. Finch and Romeo went to go get the everyday food items. Eggs, butter, milk, bread, and apparently an assortment of cereal. As the two boys were getting their items, Romeo went on, and on, and on, and on, and on AND ON! About Juliet that it made Finch's head pound because if he heard THAT name ONE MORE TIME he would probably pop. But of course, the older boy did his best to keep his cool. On top of everything else, Finch was stuck helping some old lady with reaching the things she needed on the top shelf. At first it wasn't that bad, until he had to get four cans of prune juice. Aka, his nightmare in a can. And knowing helping this lady would take awhile, Finch sent Romeo to get the rest of the stuff on the list.

Over in the frozen food aisle Henry and Sniper were stocking up on the frozen meals and boxes of, frozen pizzas and dinner meals because half the time, the newsies are in such a rush that they don't have time to cook an actual meal. Well, that and more often than not, the newsies never follow the recipes. So if there's an item missing in whatever they're making, they just skip it and move on. Of course, in the end result the meal usually tastes bad and they end up getting taken out.

"Looks like this week is dino nuggets," Henry said as he read the list of items. "Also, why do we still get dino nuggets? We're all teenagers for cryin' out-"

"I am goin' to destroy the prehistoric-nuggets with the volcano comment that is my stomach acid," Sniper said as he stared at the boxes of dino nuggets through the glass door like a crazed child.

"That creepy thing and that Race and Al are two seven year olds trapped in a teenagers body," Henry added as he went to get the boxes of dino nuggets.

Not too far away, Jojo and Tommy boy were tasked with getting the instant cookie mix, icing and sprinkles. Only problem was that they didn't know which ones to get. The two boys had narrowed it down to the classic sugar cookie, choco chip, and gingerbread. That is until Jojo and Tommy boy realized that they could just get the sugar cookie mix and grab some chocolate chips to throw in. "Well, we're idiots," Tommy boy said as he grabbed red and green and pale blue icing.

"I like to think of ourselves as-" Jojo started while picking out the sprinkles.

"We spent half an hour debating if we should get sugar or choco chip when we coulda really just throw in the chips ourselves," Tommy pointed out as he dropped the icing into the basket. Last, but not least, Albert and Brooklyn were stuck getting whatever other items were on the list. Such as bathroom essentials, snacks like chips, granola, and crackers. Let's not forget the hot coco mix, marshmallows and peppermint sticks. "What's with the white chocolate Fun Size?" Albert asked when Brooklyn threw in the white chocolate pack.

"For snowy striped coco of course," Brooklyn replied in an obvious tone. "It's basically like hot coco, only instead of milk chocolate, you use white. And it doesn't stop there, you could also use salted caramel. Not the kind that's gooey, the kind that's hard. There's also Mint, and raspberry."

"Raspberry?" Albert asked with a raised eyebrow. "That stuff is nasty. Like cherry and grape medicine."

* * *

"The kitchen is finally so clean you could eat off the floor," Race said proudly as he threw a dish towel into the laundry basket.

"How is it possible that I've lived with you for nine years, yet you still find some way to surprise me with the odd things you say?" Feister asked as she crossed her arms and eyed the blonde boy.

"Try dealin' with him for eleven years," Specs replied in a deadpanned voice. Before Race could show he was offended, the shoppers came back with full bags from their little trip. After quickly stocking everything away, the only things that were left out were the cookie mix, icing, sprinkles, and of course the hot coco stuff.

"What's with the white chocolate?" Elmer asked with a tilted head.

"It's for snowy striped coco," Albert replied in the most plain, deadpanned tone ever. "Freckles idea, not mine," the redhead replied before anyone could ask.

"Finally! Snowy striped that doesn't taste like ick mixed with chunky bleh!" Mush exclaimed happily.

"Is that what those white chunks in the trash were?" Feister asked in confusion. "I thought someone tossed out their guts."

"Basically I'm the only one who can make snowy striped actually taste good. While my dear brother on the other hand can not cook to save his life," Brooklyn replied innocently.

"Now if we could just get ya to insult these idiots-" Feister gestured around the room. "The same way ya do to your brother, you'll be-"

"WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER LOUD MOUTH!" the boys yelled before Feister could finish what she was saying. Anyways, after all that ended, Feister and half of the boys went onto mix the instant sugar cookie mix. Some with chocolate chips, others without. While Brooklyn and the rest of the boys went on to make the hot chocolates while the cookies baked. Luckily, no mess was made, and soon enough, the cookies were in the oven, the hot coco and Brooklyn's snowy stripes (which actually tasted surprisingly good) were finished.

So the group went into the living room and found a comfy spot on the couch and tried their luck with the TV. Thankfully it worked and after fighting for a bit, everyone agreed on Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer to past the time. They were about half way through the first movie when a funny smell floated in the air. "Is somethin' burnin'?" Buttons asked. And in the next moment, the fire detector went off. The boys and girls quickly got up and headed to the kitchen.

"THE OVEN IS ON FIRE!" Sniper shouted at the top of his lungs for the whole city to hear as everyone else ran into the kitchen as the smoke detectors beeped loudly.

"THANKS A LOT CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!" Feister replied sarcastically as the thick black smoke seeped through the cracks of the oven door.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR SARCASM!" Sniper yelled back.

"IS NOBODY WORRIED THAT THERE'S STILL A FIRE IN THE OVEN?!" Brooklyn asked loudly while the boys stood there and did nothing to stop the oven fire or smoke detectors from beeping loudly to the point she felt a ringing in her ear as it pounded in her head like a drum.

"WELL WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE WE DO MISS SMARTY PANTS?!" Race yelled back while throwing his arms into the air as he started to panic a bit. Since Jack was out helping Katherine with something, he was in charge until Jack's return. "USE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IDIOT!" everyone yelled at Race, who went to grab the fire extinguisher from under the sink cabinet. Sniper stepped back from the oven while Specs and Finch tried to turn off the smoke detector as everyone else went to open the windows or wave the smoke away. Race turned off the heat before opening the oven door. Race took a deep breath, but ended up coughing from the smoke he breathed in. Anyway, Race pointed the hose into the oven, tightly closed his eyes, looked away and started to - _*record scratch, freeze frame to Race putting the oven fire out* "So you see readers. The oven fire is NOT by any means MY fault!"_

 _Author: *sighs and slaps face* "The story ain't over yet."_

 _"But-"_

 _"Roll clip!"_

 _*unpause to Race now putting out the fire*._ The loud sound of foam coming out of the hose filled the air. The smoke detectors stopped and all was met with silence. Nobody moved. Race stared into the oven with a tight grip on the fire extinguisher as if the fire would come up from the blanket of white that sat in the oven. "Are we dead?" Romeo asked breaking the long, still silence.

"I don't think so...quick! Someone pinch me - OW! Not that hard!" Mush yelled while glaring at Feister. So, after that, everyone once again went back to cleaning the kitchen. The oven would have to be cleaned out when it cooled down. But at least it wasn't as messy like the last time. After all that was done, the boys and two girls collapsed onto the couch and let out a heavy sigh.

"Still think we're bakers Racer?" Crutchie groaned out of exhaustion from making one batch of cookies, to cleaning up the mess before going into making more cookies only to have a fire scare and clean up some more.

"Crutch, not now," Race groaned in return. He too was tired, and was trying to calm his fast paced heart to slow down from having to put out that fire. It seemed like there was only two minutes of relaxation before Jack and Katherine came bursting through the door all happy and such. "What's up with you?" Jack asked when he noticed the looks on everyones' faces. "Ya look like you've been through hell while I was gone."

"Jack, they've probably been board without you," Katherine replied as she took off her coat and hung it up next to Jack's. "But on the bright side, I think I know what will cheer up these glumb mugs," the redhead said while walking up to the couch.

"And just what in the world would that be Sugar Plumb?" Jojo asked sarcastically.

"Fresh baked cookies from Schmackarys!" Katherine exclaimed happily. Which was oddly enough met with groans and moans.

* * *

 **Race: "So you see readers. It's NOT MY FAULT!"**

 **Author: "you were the one who thought of making cookies before everything became messy. Then decided to use instant mix that caused the fire to start. Now if you're done being a whiny baby, I have an A/N to get too."**

 **Race: *groans* "FFFFFIIIIIINNNNNEEEEE."**

 **Author's note**

 **As you can see, the newsies haven't learned from the past that they can't make cookies to save their lives. Well, maybe Henry could do it by himself, and probably Brooklyn, but they'd have to do it by themselves, while making sure no one will steal a little batter, *death glares at every newsie - but mostly Albert -*.** **I had SO much fun writing this chapter, there was so much chaos I was laughing when I wrote this. This is definitely a favorite of mine besides "Midnight".** **Anyways, with Christmas just around the corner I'll be on a semi _posting_ hutias (I'll still be around to read any stories you guys might post), I'll be back on New Years Eve with a new one shot though. So, until then, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays to everyone else! ****I hope you enjoyed this and thanks for reading!**


	10. Magical Midnight

"WHaT?" Feister asked while shaking her head. She rubbed her eyes before opening them again to see the annual Newsies Year Eve party was in full swing as usual. The Lodge was full of life, the TV was playing the countdown special, and all was well. Kloppman watched everything from his desk with a smile, while making sure nothing got out of hand. It's one thing dealing with teen boys and two girls, it's another to deal with a room full of teen boys and girls! But, thankfully nothing bad happened. "I called ya like a thousand times!" Mush exclaimed. "I was askin' what soda ya wanted, but you spaced out on me. What gives?"

"Sorry," Feister replied quietly. "I must've zoned out. Anyways, you were saying somethin bout soda?" Feister asked changing the subject. "Just surprise me." Mush nodded knowing now wasn't the time to push Feister into talking. While getting up from the couch Mush said a quick "I love ya" and placed little peck on Feister's lips before running off to get something to drink. Feister smiled to herself as she lightly bit her lip. "Love ya too," she thought. "Idiot."

"So was it worth the wait or what?" Kid Blink asked as he slid into the empty spot next to Feister, who gave him a confused look. "Ya know, havin' to watch Mush go out with other girls in the past and waitin' for him to finally come clean bout his true feelings. Was it all worth waitin' for?"

"And why do you care," Feister asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ya weren't very subtle durin' all those long rants-"

"Would ya stop takin' my spot next to my girlfriend every time I leave Blink," Mush said when he came back with two cups of soda in hand.

"Hope to do this again sweetheart," Blink said to Feister with a wink while getting up and left the Lovebirds alone.

"Why can't everyone just lay off my girl already," Mush asked out loud while sitting down. Though it was obvious Kid Blink and pretty much all the boys flirted with Feister just to get on his nerves, that didn't mean Mush took it as a simple joke. This was his girlfriend for crying out loud! Only he could flirt with her.

"Your girl, huh?" Feister asked as she wrapped her arms around Mush and laid her head on his shoulder. A small blush crept across her cheeks. It didn't matter if was four months or four years. She would never get used to that term. It all felt like a dream, and she was going to wake up at any moment. "You're cute when you get all jealous. Ya know that right?"

"For the last time Feisty, I ain't jealous!" Mush replied.

11:58 P.M.

"Oh I'm sorry. I meant to say protectively jealous. You're cute when ya get like that," Feister replied as she moved her hand up to the back of Mush's neck and started to play with the ends of hair that were there. Before anything else was said some girl walked up to the two of them, shot Mush a flirty look while saying, "Hey hot-"

"BACK OFF TWENTY POUNDS OF MAKEUP!" Feister shouted while giving this random girl the code red Z 100 raging fire apocalypse glare. Feister quickly hugged Mush as tightly as she could while forgetting all about the fact that he was holding two cups of soda. The girl was clearly a freshman from The World High School. Feister could just tell by the "trying too hard to get a guy" look. "HE'S MINE! AS IN OFF THE MARKET. NOT INTERESTED IN YOU ANYWAY POSSIBLE. AND IF YOU TRY TO STEAL HIM AWAY FROM ME I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE AN ACTUAL LIVIN' HELL! CAUSE YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M EVEN REMOTELY CAPABLE OF YOU LITTLE PIECE OF FRESH MEAT. OR SHOULD I SAY, STALE MEAT. SO HOW BOUT YOU GO BACK TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HAVE A LITTLE NAPPY TIME WHILE YOU LET THE BIG KIDS HAVE FUN! OR BETTER YET, YOU CAN SHOW YOUR DESPERATE LITTLE BUTT RIGHT OUT OF HERE. I HOPE THE DOOR KICKS YA INTO A SNOWBANK ON THE WAY OUT AND GIVES YA FROSTBITE!"

"Please," the girl huffed. "Like I'm scared off-" before she could finish, Feister went into attack. But of course Mush (who had put the sodas down) held his very aggressive and obviously angry girlfriend back from doing any damage. By this point, people were looking, and the newsies were already loving it. They've waited a long time to watch Feister tell a girl that hits on Mush off like no tomorrow. And boy, was it the most entertaining thing ever.

"DON'T MESS WITH ME SWEETHEART! I MAY BE TINY BUT I CAN SURE AS HELL KICK YA ALL THE WAY TO LA BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN BLINK! MESS WITH ME AND IT'LL BE THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO!" Feister shouted. Needless to say, the girl got her stuff and ran out of the Lodge. Mush continued to hold Feister back while she yelled out a few last...choice of words to say.

"Pen-" Elmer started, but Mike and Ike had covered the older boy's mouth before he could finish. This wasn't the time to be calling Feister out on her strongly word choice. While that was happening Davey told Les to never repeat the words he just heard.

"Nothin' to see here people! Go on with the party!" Jack shouted after a long silence. And in a split second, everything was back in full swing. Mush was able to calm Feister down enough so she'd stop struggling, but was still tense with anger that he had to keep a grip on her. "And you say I'm protectively jealous," Mush chuckled. "And it's too cute."

"Yeah, whatever ya idiot," Feister grumbled.

11:59 P.M.

"Well that was...intense," Brooklyn said slowly before she took a sip small of soda.

"Yeah...well, Feisty has always been like that," Albert replied while shaking his head. "She just couldn't say all that out loud in the past or risk losin' your brother as her best friend."

"And now that they're dating?" Brooklyn asked as she looked over to the couch to see Mush was cupping Feister's face and saying something most likely sickeningly sweet to her. Albert only smirked as he said, "She's gonna mouth off to any girl that gives him a tiny glance." Brooklyn nodded as her eyes glanced away from Albert and back to where Mush and Feister were now apparently making out. Obviously not caring about the crowd in the room at the moment. "Get a room ya Lovebirds!" Albert shouted at Mush and Feister.

"How bout you shut up and get away from my sister!" Mush yelled back. Albert rolled his eyes and turned back to Brooklyn. Only to see she wasn't there anymore. Curious, he started to look around for her. She wasn't in the main room, or the dining room. Albert walked into the kitchen which wasn't occupied with many people, he found her snacking on some chips. "Where'd ya run off too?" he asked while walking up to her.

"I needed to ease my stomach after that sight of PDA by my love sick twin," Brooklyn replied.

"Did you just make a joke?" Albert asked with a raised eyebrow and a cocky smirk on his face. Brooklyn started to blush, giving Albert his answer. In the past few months he's noticed how Brooklyn slowly started to settle into life at the Lodge. When she first came she was quiet, and preserved. But as time slowly went by, she started warming up to the point where more than a few words would come out of her mouth. As the time went by, his feelings for her grew. The night they went to Homecoming was unforgettable and Albert learned so much about Brooklyn that night. What she likes to do, her favorite songs, and all those things.

10 seconds to midnight.

Meanwhile Race was practically losing his mind as he watched yet another hopeless couple not act out on their feelings. Or at least having to watch Albert not make a move of any sort. Brooklyn however, he didn't expect anything less from that oblivious girl. "If ya keep that up, smoke is gonna come outta that head of yours," Crutchie said. "I ship it too, but ya don't see me gettin' worked up over nothin'. Sides, remember what happened last year-" "Ya mean two seconds ago?" Jojo asked cutting in with a little smirk. Crutchie sent a glare to Jojo before saying, "Mush and Feisty were in the same situation as Al and Freckles are. Give it some time, will ya. And fore ya know it, there's gonna be another sappy couple for you to make fun off."

9 seconds to midnight

"This is not how I raised Al to act with the ladies!" Race said as his face turned red. "I taught that kid everythin' he knows bout women."

"Everythin'?" Jojo and Crutchie both asked with not only a raised eyebrow, but also a rather disturbed face at the thought of Race...yeah that wouldn't go down well.

8 seconds to midnight.

"Ok, maybe not _everythin'_ ," Race replied with an eye roll. "But enough to know when it's time to make the perfect move! And standin' there like a frozen icicle ain't it! It's been two months already! They went to Homecomin' together, spent the entire Night Of Frights wrapped round each other, and for the whole painful month of December, Al has been lookin' at that girl with the big puppy dog eyes! He's head over heels for her! And yet, doesn't do a single thing about it! What happened to the Albert who makes a move without a worry in the world?!" Race asked while throwing his hands in the air. "Actually I think the bigger question is how the hell does Romeo. _Romeo_ of all newsies, get himself a girl before me or Al! The kid's thirteen for cryin' out loud!" Race added as he gestured to where Romeo was standing with Juliet, who was laughing happily with a big smile on her face. "It just doesn't make any sense!"

7 seconds to midnight.

Not too far away on the couch Mush and Feister were all comfy cozy as time seemed to slow down. The sounds, the people, and everything else seemed to disappear as they looked at each other. "So...what're you gonna wish for at midnight?" Mush asked. Even though he wasn't one for wish making...it wasn't such a terrible thing to do. After all, his came true last year. Even if it was just wishful thinking.

6 seconds to midnight.

Feister sat up straight and pretended to think for a moment. Her face then went from thinking to smug as she said, "Well...if you really must know..." she started to lightly run her fingers through the tips of his hair. "There's this boy I kinda have a crush on, but I'm not sure how he feels bout me. So you can see the little problem I have here."

5 seconds to midnight.

"That guy's an idiot for not makin' his move then," Mush replied playing along. "Besides, you've got me! Best friend for nine years strong baby! and going onto the big ten soon!"

4 seconds to midnight.

"I guess that's true," Feister said with a little smile on her face. "I'd definitely take my weirdo bestie than some guy who doesn't know I even exist." Feister could tell that Mush was trying hard not to burst out into laughter. And she was too for that matter, but she kept the little charade going on anyways. "Besides, I think it's time to move on from that blind idiot and focus on doing stupid things with you," she added while leaning a bit closer.

3 seconds to midnight.

"Look on the bright side Racer," Crutchie said with a wide smile on his face. "At least Mush and Feisty are finally together!"

"Who cares bout those lovebirds," Race said while waving his hand to the side. "My new mission is to get Alblyn together. And I won't stop until they do! I'll even take this ship to my grave haunt 'em of I have too!"

"I can hear you!" Albert yelled as he sent a glare in Race's direction.

2 seconds to midnight.

"Stop shipping my sister with a tomato!" Mush added as he gave Race the death glares of all death glares.

1 second to midnight.

"Hello to another year of chaos," Jack said while rubbing his forehead. It seemed like as time went by, things only got harder, and more chaotic than easier. You would _think_ that these boys would have grown out of their middle school ways and act more like-

12:00 A.M.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone shouted. Needless to say Feister smashed her lips onto Mush's and pulled him into a deep kiss. Race was yelling like a mad man at Albert for not making a move on a blushing red Brooklyn. And Jack? Well, Jack was a little busy stopping the nightmare twins from yet another fight while he really should be kissing Katherine.

Yup. It looks like another hectic year is in the making.

* * *

 **Author's note**

 **So...jealous Feister is something I shouldn't have enjoyed writing as much as I did. And obviously there was a little protective/slightly jealous Mush (which is basically what I've been doing for years now, but it was still enjoyable). Kid Blink better know what he's doing before a soakin' happens. Ya gotta love it when Race ships Albert and Brooklyn together (Which I will make ship sooner than later. I promise Alblyn _isn't_ going to be a slow burn!)** **I have a bunch of new stuff coming in 2020, including my younger Feister story. Which you can still put in a request for something. There's more info about that in my profile. Any who, it's New Years Eve and I don't know about you guys but it's almost 2020 and it's bittersweet for me. I'm sad this entire year is ending so soon, but who knows what the new decade will bring.** **So, all I have left to say is I hope you guys enjoyed this one shot, thanks so much for reading, and lastly, a happy new year!**


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